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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A122 Bourbon Whiskey Review - First ECBP of 2022
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Apr 14, 2025
Reviewing the first batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof for 2022, ECBP A122. New episodes of the Bourbon Bytes Podcast every Friday: https://bourbonbytes.podbean.com/ Follow and Subscribe on Twitch for Gaming Streams: https://www.twitch.tv/bourbonbytes Support the Channel on Patreon for Exclusive Hangouts and Early Video Access: http://www.Patreon.com/BourbonBytes Join the Whiskey & Gaming Lounge Discord Server: http://BourbonBytes.com #WhiskeyTube #Bourbon
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0:00
2022 just got a whole lot better
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Hey everyone, welcome to Bourbon Bites. My name is Clifton and today I'm reviewing the latest
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release of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A1-22. So this is actually the earliest I've been able to
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get one of these in the year. They release three batches a year, the A batch in January
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the B batch around May, and the C batch is usually around September. Last year it came out a little
0:24
bit later, but it seems they are back on track with this release. So Heaven Hill actually did
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send me this bottle for review. That's probably why I'm getting it so early. But y'all know Elijah
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Craig Barrel Proof is one of my favorite, if not my favorite bourbon in general. So I would have
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you know, obviously bought it anyways. But thank you, Heaven Hill, for seeing this over. I'm so
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excited to review it. This, of course, still has the 12-year age statement. It's non-chill filtered
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and the MSRP is listed as $60 on here. I do know that these have gone up in price, at least in my
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area in Southern California. So I typically see them for around $80-ish in my area, but that may
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vary depending on where you are. You may also know that the C batch from last year, C921, was my
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absolute favorite. It actually was one of my top Elijah Craig barrel proofs I've ever tried. So
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this one has a reputation to stand up to. This one does come in at 120.8 proof, 60.4% ABV
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So about mid-range, maybe a little bit lower. They've tended to trend lower proof lately
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but still 120 proof is not low proof by any means This is barrel strength This is the cast strength of what is coming out of these batches And what cool about this year is this is the 10th anniversary of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof as a release from Heaven Hill
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So I really hope that means they're going to put out some of their best batches yet. But let's go get this poured and see how this batch does
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So color wise, this is just as beautiful of a hue as ever. You can tell that there's definitely some good age on this bourbon just on the looks of it alone
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Let's go ahead and give it a nose. Oh, man. I just love the classic Heaven Hill kind of note. It's not anything necessarily dramatic or
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anything that's kind of like crazy wild. It's just, to me, the perfect example of what a bourbon
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should be. It's got that oak, of course. It's got the vanilla, the caramel. A lot of times
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I feel like Heaven Hill goes towards like a baked good kind of note, like a pie or something like fresh out of the oven. So, Electric Barrel Proof is no exception. On the nose, I'm getting a lot of
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that fresh baked bread kind of note. I think this one is a little bit spicier on the nose. It's more
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of towards the rye spice. You're definitely getting some of that on the nose. The big factor
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here is the oak, that really rich, sweet, saturated note that I love about a good Elijah Craig Barrel
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Proof. But along with the rye spice, there is a good bit of fruitiness there. It's almost like a cooked kind of pear or peach cobbler. So good. I can't wait to give this a try. Cheers, guys
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Man, another winner right here. I think all of these releases lately have been really
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really great they been last year i think they were some of the best ones that came out um including the c921 this though is right on part I don necessarily think it as good at least I haven done it side by side but on first impression it not blowing me away like the C batch last year did
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By the way if you want to see that I did a review on that. I also did a blind flight comparing it to
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all of the 2021 batches. So y'all know I will keep this bottle around at end of the year. I
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will compare it to the A batch, B batch, and C batch so you can get a better idea of you know
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what's the best batch of 2022 however this is just the first one and i gotta say i'm pretty
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impressed it's very like you know typical of elijah craig barrel proof so if you like the
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standard profile of this whiskey you're gonna love this it doesn't necessarily shine in any
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particular way i do think the most interesting aspect is like that brighter fruit usually with
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elijah craig barrel proof um it's like a baked good note but it's more of like the darker the
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raspberry the dark cherry to me this one is more lighter maybe a little bit towards like like i
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to the pear or the peach, but it's a lighter fruit note, but just as rich and just as decadent
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I think this is a very, you know, full-bodied, well-rounded bourbon. And like I said, this one
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is a good bit spicier than the previous releases. Not necessarily in terms of like, you know, proof
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ABV, you know, like alcohol spice, but actual rye spice. It's a really nice, lighter, brighter
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note, almost like an, you know, anise kind of note, maybe not quite licorice, but just a little
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hint of that with the rye spice. It's actually really nice and a nice twist on what I expect
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from this. I'm really curious to see what the next batches of the year turn out like. Are they
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going to follow this trend of the more spicy or are they going to go more traditional with the well really rich dark notes But overall this is an absolute solid bourbon If you can find it for a decent price like I said they say MSRP on it is
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I bought my last bottle, I'll be honest, for $85. And that was the C batch
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To me, I'd already tried it, and I knew that was a batch that I really, really loved. So for me, it was worth the extra price and knowing that I loved that
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But on a blind buy, I still feel like a Ladger Craig Barrel Proof is one of the best values in bourbon
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You're getting a 12-year-old cast strength product, and it's just known as, you know
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one of the most well-rounded bourbons, at least in my opinion. Yes, it's a little nutty, and yes, it leans more towards those vanilla kind of notes
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but I love that. I love the nuttiness, and I love the sweetness of it, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is always
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a winner in my book, so A122 is no exception. Buy this if you see it
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So thank you again, Heaven Hill, for sending over this bottle for review. It's definitely not going to be the last Elijah Craig Barrel Proof I buy, and I'm really excited
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to see what the future batches for 2022 have in store. So let me know in the comments below if you guys have seen this batch yet
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I know it's pretty early in the year, but it should be hitting shelves very very soon
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But thank you guys so much for watching if you like this video Make sure to leave me a big thumbs up down below
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It really does help out the channel and if you want to see more whiskey reviews with a gaming twist
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Make sure to hit the subscribe button down below I go live every Thursday night with whiskey reviews distillery interviews and Saturday nights for some fun gaming streams
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So until next time cheers, and I'll see you next video
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