Elijah Craig 12 - Lost In a Competitive Field of Oaky Bourbons

Photo by Suresh Doss

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old
Heaven Hill Distillery
Taste Score: 85
Category: American Straight Bourbon, Aged 10-12 years
Whisky Cabinet Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

This whisky, in many ways, exemplifies a well-aged oaky bourbon—it’s the sort of bourbon I’d love ten years ago. Today’s whisky world has changed, though. I’m often forgetting about Elijah Craig’s existence in my whisky cabinet, which largely contributed to the low whisky cabinet rating. Subtle bourbons can be wonderful; but subtle should still be interesting.

There’s a very lovely dry finish of this Elijah Craig that doesn’t quite balance out the oaky flavours. The rye-based spice is a touch loud, the caramel/vanilla flavours don’t quite push through from start to middle. This is quite the opposite of the cask strength Elijah Craig 12, or some of the older cherished releases. Higher ABV is (generally) key in this category.

If I were Heaven Hill Distillery, I’d release a nice Bottled-in-Bond 50%+ ABV Elijah Craig 12 and call it a day. Granted, they don’t need my help in sales-—this bourbon does alright as is!

Nose: Leather polish, vanilla, dried fruit, and freshly sliced orange peel.

Palate: Surprisingly thin on the tip of the tongue, with a nice build of warmth and flavour through the middle in what you might expect; caramel, vanilla, spice. The spice really takes over the latter part of the sip, along with nice dryness.

Conclusion: Elijah Craig 12 has plenty of fans, and it’s easy to see why. But at its price point in today’s whisky world, it’s starting to feel dated in a competitive field of dynamic bourbons. 

Whisky Cabinet Rating Explained:
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  Not recommended
★ ☆ ☆ ☆  Good whisky, but not a ‘must-have’
★ ★ ☆ ☆  Your great regular rotation whisky that'll come and go
★ ★ ★ ☆  Excellent, a near must-have
★ ★ ★ ★  Extraordinary, memorable, and original