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Elijah Craig Rye Whiskey - First Impressions & Review
Jun 1, 2026
Trying the new Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey from Heaven Hill. This 94 proof rye whiskey is only $30. Does it stand up to the Elijah Craig name? By the way, check out the new Patreon shoutout at the end! If you want to see your name here, become a Patron at http://www.Patreon.com/BourbonBytes #WhiskeyTube #RyeWhiskey #WhiskeyTube #RyeWhiskey
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Hey guys, welcome to Bourbon Bites and today we're reviewing Elijah Craig Rye
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So the reason I wasn't able to review this whiskey any sooner is because this is a very
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limited release product. Right now as of filming this, it is only available in North Carolina
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South Carolina, Georgia, and Oregon. So I actually had my mom send this all the way from South
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Carolina to me here in California to review it. So thanks mom. But yeah, if you're unfamiliar with
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this, this is a brand new release from Heaven Hill under the Elijah Craig name that comes in at 94
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proof, just like the small batch bourbon that Elijah Craig releases. But it's a rye. So this
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actually is the same mash bill as other Heaven Hill ryes like Rittenhouse and Pikesville. It's
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still the barely legal rye at 51%. So I'm imagining that it's a pretty similar flavor profile
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Rittenhouse is actually one of my two favorite ryes for the price, along with George Dickel rye
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Speaking of price, this comes in around $30 to $35, at least in South Carolina
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So it kind of fits nicely in between the price of Rittenhouse and Pikesville
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So I excited to try this and let you guys know what I think So I do plan a future live stream where I actually compare this side by side with Pikesville and Rittenhouse I think that would be a really good comparison but right now I just want to try it on its own just to kind of give some first
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impressions. Like I said, this is a new to 2020 bottle, but it took me a couple of months to get
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out here because my mom had to find it and ship it and everything like that. So please let me know
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in the comments below and I'll do it sooner rather than later if you guys are interested in seeing
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that. Also, if you haven't subscribed, make sure to do that so you don't miss it. So on the nose
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this is very, very approachable. It smells more in line with what I would consider like a bourbon
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kind of nose, that vanilla and really, really sweet. So I don't really detect the rye note
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very much on the nose. And that's kind of my prediction of this whiskey. I feel like this was
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a rye made for the masses. My mom is not the biggest whiskey drinker, but she has found that
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she is a huge fan of regular Elijah Craig. So I think, you know, they're targeting not necessarily
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someone like me that buys $80 to $100 ryes. I think they're targeting people that might want
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to try something a little different than standard Elijah Craig, but still in that wheelhouse, still
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in that very approachable friendly wheelhouse. And on the nose, I think that's very much true
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So let's see if it holds up on the taste. Cheers. It still is friendly like the nose but it definitely reads more like a rye on the taste than it does the nose Very very spice for it up front almost like a I would almost say like a
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citrus or like an orange spice, coupled with like a, like a buttercream, like frosting kind of note
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like a really, really sweet frosting that would be like on top of a cake. Maybe even like an orange
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creamsicle. I don't know. The orange is the first thing that hit me, but I'm curious to see if that
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will hold through with the second sip. Yeah, it's still very orange forward, but that orange kind of
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evolves into more of like a vanilla, really, really sweet frosting note. And the finish is really
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that's where the rye spice comes in. It's those rye notes like rye bread, but it almost comes
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across as almost minty, and that's a note that I get in a lot of rye whiskeys, and it's a note that I really like. It's a pretty long finish for a 94 proof whiskey. I mean, Pikesville gives me an
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incredible finish, but it's also 110 proof and six years old. I would guess this is pretty
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significantly older than Rittenhouse. I think Rittenhouse is very rye forward and like the
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sweetness and stuff kind of comes after that, which is common in a lot of younger ryes, like
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the George Dickel rye which is my other favorite you know cheap budget rye I get a little more of those similar notes with the Rittenhouse I think that any Elijah Craig drinker should try this out I mean it just as
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approachable as what you get with the Elijah Craig bourbon, but it introduces you to that rye mash
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bill, and maybe you'll find that you like that a bit more. I think making cocktails with like a low
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rye like this makes some of the best whiskey cocktails. I use Pikesville all the time, but
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I may have a new favorite for cocktails. And at the $30 price point, it's definitely a good
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recommendation from me. I mean, even if you like the spicier, you know, more bold ryes
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I think if you're trying to introduce someone into the rye, or if you're someone that may not normally like a rye, pick this up if it's available in your state and give it a try
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All right. Well, like I said, I hope to review this side by side with Rittenhouse and Pikesville
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at some point. So make sure you subscribe so you don't miss that. But I'm a big fan of this. So
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I'm curious, is it available in your state? And if so, have you tried it? Let me know what you guys think
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But until next time, this has been Bourbon Bites Whiskey Reviews with a retro gaming twist
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I'm Clifton, and I'll see you guys next video. Cheers
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