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Elijah Craig Rye Whiskey - First Impressions & Review
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Apr 14, 2025
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
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with this, this is a brand new release from Heaven Hill under the Elijah Craig name that comes in at
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94 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-$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 wanted 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 months to get out
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here because my mom had to find it and ship it and everything like that. So please let me know 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, you know, buys $80 to $100 ryes. I think they're targeting people that might
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want to try something a little different than standard Elijah Craig, but still in that wheelhouse
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still in that very approachable friendly wheelhouse. And on the nose, I think that's very much true. So let's see if it holds up on the taste. Cheers
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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 I would almost say like a citrus or
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like an orange spice, coupled with like a buttercream frosting kind of note, like a really
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really sweet frosting that would be like on top of a cake. Maybe even like an orange creamsicle
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I don't know. The orange is the first thing that hit me, but I'm curious to see if that'll hold through with the second sip. Yeah, it's still very orange forward, but that orange kind of evolves
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into more of like a vanilla, really, really sweet frosting note. And the finish is really, that's
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where the rye spice comes in. It's those rye notes like rye bread, but it almost comes across as
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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 incredible
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finish, but it's also 110 proof and six years old. I would guess this is pretty significantly
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older than Rittenhouse. I think Rittenhouse is very rye forward and like the sweetness and stuff
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kind of comes after that, which is common in a lot of younger ryes, like the George Dickel rye
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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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