Review #742 - Elijah Craig 9 Year Toasted Private Barrel - Hazel's Beverage World Pick

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Heaven Hill has sold a toasted version of their bourbon under their Elijah Craig brand for a couple of years now; it's been a popular product, but we haven't seen a barrel proof version yet, or at least a batched barrel proof version. Well, in the past year or so, private barrel versions of the toasted Elijah Craig have started to roll out at an increasing number of stores, and some of these have been at full barrel proof; these are getting more and more common.

Here's an example from Hazel's Beverage World in Colorado. This is a 9 year old single barrel bottled at the full strength of 57.7% ABV (115.4 proof); after the initial maturation in new charred (#3 char) American white oak, Heaven Hill finishes these 'toasted single barrels' in a toasted, lightly charred second new oak barrel.

When we've seen these toasted private barrels at stores, they've generally been priced in line with the typical Elijah Craig private barrel selections; generally, that's $85 to $90 in our area for 8 to 10 year old bourbon.

Elijah Craig 9 Year Toasted Private Barrel - Hazel's Beverage World Pick

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 90 (2025)

Age Statement: 9 Years

Strength: 57.7% ABV

Details: Not chill filtered

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Cinnamon and molasses, burnt toast, a lot of toasted or barbecued oak. Brown sugar, even icing sugar bring some subtle sweetness, but this is mostly oak-dominated; later, we get subtle hints of orange, raisin, dark caramel, and cherry lozenges. There's a soft grain character at times, too.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; it's quite warm and dominated by toasted oak notes. Toasted bread, charred oak, cinnamon, and lots of dusty vanilla; hints of fruit return with orange and maybe dark cherry. Peppery oak, candied pecan... nutmeg and clove.

Finish: Brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla - lots of baking notes. There's a lot of oak, too, but it isn't 'old' sweet oak; instead, it's leathery and drying, with tannins and heat. Dusty grain notes and a bit of herbal rye influence linger in the aftertaste, and this has a medium-long finish.

Final Note: In early tastings, the toasted oak was extremely dominant for us, overpowering almost everything else. If that's your jam, this could be a solid bottle to pick up, especially if the price is reasonable. On later tastings, we did slowly find more nuance, especially the fruity notes in our final session with the bourbon, but we really had to search for them. There's plenty of baking spice, especially cinnamon and vanilla, as well as a hint of that recognizable Heaven Hill nutty character with the pecan note on the palate. Good bourbon, a bit oak-dominated overall.

Value is just about average, maybe a touch above. While this bourbon has been taken over by the wood notes, there's no doubt that it's packed with punchy flavor and some heat with that bottling strength; the mouthfeel is good, and the finish is nice and lingering. Decent stuff, one to seek out for those who enjoy toasted bourbons.

Our Rating: 7.0 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.25

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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