221. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921 Review

Welcome to another trip down the Bourbon Road with your hosts Jim and Mike. So grab a glass of your favorite bourbon and kick back.

Hello, everybody. I'm Jim Shannon. And I'm Mike Hite. This is The Bourbon Road. Today, Mike, we're at Jep The Bend Farm. Yeah. It's another beautiful late fall, early winter day.

It's not winter yet, though, right? It's not winter yet, but I was prepping for winter today. I went and loaded up some firewood that I'd split and cut, and it's kind of dried out. You know, you leave it just piled up where I split it at. I told Vivian, I said, let's go grab that. It's an old cherry tree that had fallen down on a neighbor's property. Cut it up, brought it over here and stacked it up because we're fixing to get some winter.

Yeah, I think some winter's getting ready to come. I've heard a few things on the weather channel about how this year the predictions are that it's going to be a little bit heavier snow than normal. Wow.

Well, the fireplace isn't roaring today because it's 64 degrees outside. Yeah. But we do have some bourbon on the table for wintertime.

I think this is definitely a great, great cold winter pour. And I have to be honest, And I have several bottles of this bourbon Various releases over the years. Yeah, but I haven't tasted it any one of those in a bit of time So it's been a minute since I had some I guess that I'm the same way I've got several several bottles of this of each release and

I haven't drank any in a long time, just because we've been drinking so many different things. Now this is a big boy bourbon, big company. So back to back companies. We had Stagg Jr. last week. This is Elijah Craig barrel proof. Always a fan favorite.

Yeah. So pretty much wherever you go in the country, not only going to see everywhere, but pretty much everywhere you go in the country, people are looking for this bottle to show up on the shelves. Cause it's fairly priced.

Yeah, I'd say most places. I picked this up in Shreveport, Louisiana. I was visiting our son down there and lo and behold, once again, just two cases of it just sitting there at retail $65. How can I beat this? This is the C921. That's the last release of this year. You might see some reviews out there, but this is our review of it. Now you won't find two cases of that in Kentucky sitting on the shelf. You won't find one bottle of it. Hardly. It'll be in the back room, save for those special customers. Or if it was out, it was gone. Yeah. Most people would grab it.

Yeah, I know if you get about and you see a few out, they're usually going to be priced a little bit higher, probably around $90 to $100, if not a few dollars more. So they're coveted bottles. They're something that people look forward to three or four times a year. Yep. And this one just happens to be released number three of 2021.

Yeah. I believe that's the last release of this. Now what's different about this? I mean, you were sitting talking to before the show was that the proof on this is 120.2. That's kind of low for Elijah Barrow proof, right?

Yeah. When you look at the history, it's, it's pretty low.

Yeah. They've had a 140.2 back in, I think that was 2000. 2014 they've had some other ones right around that time 2015 there was 139.8 January of 2016 138.8 May of 2016 was 139.4 They were pretty hot and this is still not the lowest that they've had though earlier this year they released a 118.2 So they're kind of fluctuating and you wonder who at Heaven Hill is picking these out and saying, okay, this is what we're going to put out.

Right. So this year to have two lower than average proofs being released in the same year is kind of interesting. Actually, even January's was 123.6.

So they, right there in that 125 range below that, was that a different person? That would be something to ask.

Well, I mean, historically, uh, there they've been known as a very heavy, very, very bold, uh, 12 year old whiskeys, right?

Yeah, it is a 12 year old whiskey, uh, with bourbon. Um, the mash bill on this is the standard Elijah Craig. It's no different. They're just taking that barrel. They're not proofing it down or anything. And this is a 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye.

All right. Well, Mike, I say we, um, we check it out. Yeah. It's time to get the whiskey. Yeah. Wow. That's, you know, that, that nose doesn't come across super powerful. It doesn't attack your nostrils. Uh, there's, there's some alcohol there.

There is. I get a lot of oak from this, what you'd expect with a 12 year old, right? Those older bourbons from Kentucky in that age range, you're going to get that deep oak, you know, like a, you ever saw it into an old piece of oak before like barnwood or something that's, you saw it and you get that, just that whiff of oak from it.

Yeah. So I'm definitely getting like the, the bake shop kind of nose off of it as well. A little bit of walnut, I think, but, but more like a walnut brownie because I'll get a little bit of that, uh, that chocolate nose on it.

Yeah, I could, I could get that. Um, I can actually get a little bit of, uh, like raisin in this. That's sweet. I get a little bit of sweetness with it. Maybe some chocolate there. Yeah. I wouldn't go so far as saying an oatmeal raisin cookie or anything like that.

There's a hint of like tobacco on the back end, maybe a little bit of that older oak kind of presence. Let's taste it. Cheers. Cheers. Very buttery. Not an immediate sting on the tongue, but I think it's coming. Oh, it's there. Definitely, definitely got, and I'm not just going to say a chocolate brownie with walnuts. Now that it's on my tongue, I'm going to say a fudge brownie. Kind of a fudge brownie with walnuts.

You're right on the buttery spicy sweet that, you know, whenever you talk about fudge, fudge isn't always so sweet. Sometimes it's got that, I wouldn't call it bitter, but it is a little bitter chocolatey taste.

That's pretty good dark color to this. This, this is, um, you know, just a small pour you put in our glass here, but it's, uh, It's almost chocolate brown.

Mahogany. There you go. There you go. Yeah. It's a definitely a beautiful bourbon. I poured us a little pores, but good Lord, we don't need much more than that's right here. You don't need too much more than that. It is a layer after layer on this thing for sure.

Just a hint of cherry in it. Not picking up. Sometimes I pick up a little bit of orange and Elijah Craig barrel proof, not getting any this time for me anyway. I don't get any citrus on this at all, but just a tad of cherry.

cinnamon gummy bears a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. You know how those, you'll eat a gummy bear, a cinnamon gummy bear, especially, but there may be those, uh, what are those fish called? Those red hot fish things. They're called Swedish fish. Swedish fish. They're a little spicy. They're a little bit not well. Yeah.

The, um, the thing I wanted to say about this is, and almost within Elijah Craig Barrelproof, it goes without saying, it's always going to have that, that baking cabinet and it's going to always going to have the all spice and all things nice that come, come along with like a bakery shop. Right.

Well, this is perfect for winter time. Um, it does have that Christmas mini, you know, Christmas feeling to it. Um, you know, you're talking about all those baking spices and whenever I think about baking spices, I think Christmas time, you know, nutmeg and cinnamon and the all spice, you just get it all in this right here.

Yeah. This is the finish on this is just, It's like a forever finish, right? I mean, it really slows you down a bit when you're sipping because you don't need to go right back to it. It kind of sticks with you. It really hangs in there. Well, Elijah Craig was a preacher, right?

Yeah. If you've ever listened to a preacher, I think talk forever.

They can probably, is he ever going to finish? Yeah.

Well, that's how this is right here. It, this is a long finish where that deep Kentucky hug on it. It is, it's there. It's done kicked in. It's kicking that motor up, man. Why we should have put a fire on day. It would have been roasted in here though.

Yeah, I tell you, it's the right kind of whiskey for that. It's the right kind of bourbon for that. Or even if you're still sitting outside, if you got one of those little fire pit that has the gas bottle on it, that'd be all right, I think. Sit out there and sip on this just a little bit.

Even if you're on a front porch today with the wind blowing a little bit, it's about evening time. We'll start chilling down here a little bit and this would be just perfect for that. You're right. This is some, porch setting whiskey right here for fall you know what this makes me think of that oak that's just coming out there because it is a lot of oak and stuff as our good buddy chris cruise cruise customs flags oh yeah hey it is christmas time it's coming up you want to get those gifts he makes some nice american flags out of used bourbon barrels, right? He does repurposes them, recycles them, whatever you want to call it. And he also uses combat veterans to make those combat veterans, making flags that you can display in your house. You got one displayed on your bar. I got one displayed in my house. He also makes some other items out of those bourbon barrels. He's got a nice charred oak cup that you can drink bourbon out of. He's got some key holders. He's got state key re-holders and stuff. You want to check Chris Cruz out at Cruz Customs Flags. Buy some of his products. veteran owned, veteran operated, and veteran made, you won't find a better Christmas gift. I agree completely, Mike.

So C921, definitely one for the record books. It's a good one. It's a little bit lower proof. I would say that it doesn't sizzle you like some of them can. It's definitely not mellow, but it's not as aggressive as some of those we've had that are a little bit higher in proof, but it still gives you that hug.

Yeah, this is a slow sipper no matter what. It is not going to burn you up. Definitely worth the $65 all day long for a 12 year old bourbon. Can't go wrong. I don't think you're going to, you don't want to pass it up. And that's why I didn't pass it up in Louisiana. If you see bottles of it, grab it when you can. Obviously I'd already bought a bunch of bourbon while I was down there. So my piggy bank was almost dry. Otherwise you'd eat about a few more bottles. Right. Probably would have bought at least six of them. I was already, I was already several bottles in at that time and I was like, mmm, Vivian's going to get real mad if I just keep buying.

Well, I guess, I guess the big recommendation goes out on this one that if you have an opportunity to pick up in Elijah Craig barrel proof, you just can't go wrong. Don't pay too much for it. You know, it can get pricey in some stores holding back the bottles for people who just got to have it. But if you find it at a fair price and, you know, honestly, the smaller stores have to charge just a little bit more and that's okay.

Yeah, I'd say 10% more is fine with this. I'd say your limit on this, you know, if you're going above $90, you're probably paying too much for it. There's other bourbons out there that you can find all day long. A 12 year old knob Creek, you know, you could probably buy that right there and be just fine. It'll stand up right with this all day long.

So yeah, I'd say I'd say at that $90 range you can probably find it At the 65 to 75 dollar range.

It's gonna be very hard to put your hands on a bottle unless you're in tree point, Louisiana drive to Louisiana it's and every I think it's called thrifty liquor stores there they They got plethora of it, you know I think it's a great bourbon. It's a buy all day long for me. Um, it's always a bourbon that I'm gonna have on the shelf. Elijah Craig, just their standard is a, is a good bourbon too.

It's always good to have Elijah Craig Barrowproof on the show and I'm not disappointed today. Definitely pick up a bottle of C921 if you can. But I haven't had the other two for 2021. Have you? I haven't. I haven't seen them. Boy, we've been deep in the craft market and haven't had a lot of the major issues out there, have we?

I probably could have a bottle of it somewhere. I got some bourbon that I didn't even know I had and I was digging through my cabinets and I seen some bourbon. I was like, I don't even remember buying that bottle right there. So there could be a bottle of barrel proof down there that I just don't know about or I bought a bottle and I gave it to somebody else that don't get barrel proofs that often.

Yeah. Well, it's no surprise. Definitely a thumbs up from me. I'm going to look forward to tapping this bottle once in a while when they come over to do this at Mike.

It's pretty nice. Yeah. Well, Jim, where can they find us on social media?

Well, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok. You can find us on YouTube. There won't be any videos there, but our audio is there. You know, you can find us on the web. We have a website called the bourbonroad.com. And on the bourbonroad.com website, you will find our swag. You'll find our t-shirts, our bourbon bullshitter t-shirt, bourbon road t-shirt, our hats, our glasses, decanters, hip flasks, everything you can imagine. We've got a lot of stuff on there, but Mike. Where do our really good friends like to hang out?

Well, they like to hang out on Facebook in a private Facebook group called The Bourbon Roadies. 2,500 people strong. They're in there discussing whiskey, showing us what they've bought, what they've got on the road out there, their finds. Some people say that we have influenced them to buy more bourbon.

Yeah, probably. I would say, I would say we have that effect on people. Yeah. Drew Allen said that to me.

He said that our bourbon hunting episode was what caused him to buy so much bourbon on his last road trip.

There you go. Well, it's a lot of fun. Bourbon hunting is fun. We haven't done a lot this year, but we have done some and you know, it's still the season, right? Spring's coming.

Yeah.

But still the season. Actually, right now, the bottles that are hitting the shelves are those gift sets, right?

Well, the gift sets and Pappy's going to start hitting the shelf. That's the big daddy out there, right? Keep your eye open. Pappy and the antique collection show up. So you want to keep your eye out there. So our bourbon group, you got to do three things to be a member of that. Are you 21? Do you like bourbon? Yeah, everybody loves bourbon, right? And do you agree to play nice because we don't tolerate any rudeness in there? Our moderators will take care of you if you don't. Just be nice to each other. It is that time of the season. But in the bourbon roadies, it's always that time of the season to make sure that you're nice to your fellow bourbon lover.

Absolutely. Well, we do two shows every week. We do a short episode like today's show where we take a single bottle and we kind of dive into that expression and tell you what we think about it. Give you our recommendation, whether or not it's a bottle you should try and pick up today. I think Mike and I both agree that the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921 edition is something you definitely want to get your hands on if you can. We do a longer episode every Wednesday. We do about an hour long show, two 30 minute halves, where we have a guest on the show or We talk in detail about a subject. We might have a few bottles on. We'd love to have you listen to both shows every week. Mike, what can they do to be sure that they're not going to miss it when one of those shows comes out?

Well, you want to scroll on up on your app, hit that check sign, that plus sign, that subscribe sign. It'll ask you if you want to follow us on there or subscribe. Go ahead and subscribe. That way your app tells you these two jokers have an episode that was released this morning. You can listen to us on your way to work and on the way home. Makes your drive nice and easy. Then when you want to scroll on down, hit that five star review. You know what's going to happen if you don't. I'm going to release my big buddy, the big bad booty daddy of bourbon. He's going to bring some of this Elijah Craig barrel proof over to your house. Probably a couple of glasses. You'll be leaving that five star review. Anyways, leave us that five star review. It really does open those doors. It gets distilleries. PR, they reach out to us and say, hey, we want to be on your show. We'd really appreciate it.

We'd love to hear what you think about the show. We'd love to hear if you have an idea for a guest or a bottle that needs to be reviewed. Maybe your hometown has a distillery that has got some pretty good stuff and you want to let us know about it. We'll interview them. We'll taste their whiskey. We'll let you know what we think. Like we said, We do two shows every week. We'd love to have you listen to both of them. Reach out to us. You can always reach me on email. I'm jim at the bourbonroad.com. He's mike at the bourbonroad.com. But like we always say, hit up our Instagram DM. I'm jshannon63. I'm Big Bourbon Chief. And we'll see you down. The Bourbon Road.