Elijah Craig 23 Year Bourbon

Elijah Craig 23 Year Bourbon is a distinguished Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey aged for 23 years, infused with the rich flavors of buttered popcorn, toasted honey, and cocoa. With notes of oak and pipe tobacco, this limited-edition bourbon delivers a long and dry finish accompanied by hints of mint and light citrus. Named after master distiller Elijah Craig, this remarkable beverage is produced by Heaven Hill Distillery. Enjoy responsibly, 21 and over.

Entry is oily and somewhat thick with a nice weight to it with a buttery feel that rapidly becomes rather drying and the spiciness gets rapidly overwhelmed by the drying and woodiness of the spirit. While it is quite smooth it exhibits a certain tiredness and a bit of overaging

Drinks: No, please don’t mix it. It is best on its own and would be lost in a cocktail for the most part.

Bottle: Tastefully done clear flask-shaped bottle. The paper label (dark green/olive center with border of not sure what really) and silkscreened tracery on the bottle like good lingerie, enhance and accentuate the beauty of the whiskey to excellent effect. the Neck wrap is dark pewter and autumnal gold-brown reflecting the label and the color of the whiskey and wraps around the stopper which ( thankfully) using a traditional natural cork, which like the sound of a zipper opening, has an unmistakable and distinctive sound that should generate a Pavlovian response on most whiskey connoisseurs.

Cigar: Something mild and not overly flavorful.  A good Connecticut shade wrapper no larger than a Corona or maybe a small torpedo.

Final Thoughts: I am usually a fan of the older Heaven Hill products ( and a number of the newer ones, but to a lesser extent than Buffalo Trace generally), but this one, well, I have to say I think they left it a little too long in the barrel in the quest for a 23-year-Old ( possibly because of the Van Winkle 23 being such an ‘IT’ bourbon ?). I find it a bit long in the tooth and personally not to my taste sad to say….