Heaven Hill has been giving its Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon lineup a refresh over the past few months, adding and renewing a few age statements in this venerated whiskey portfolio. First came the introduction of the 15-year, then a new batch of the 18-year, and finally the distillery has relaunched the 21-year more than a decade after it was discontinued. We got to sample this new bourbon, and it’s excellent.
As we’ve covered before, Elijah Craig is one of Heaven Hill’s most popular whiskey brands. The core lineup consists of non-age statement bourbon (it used to have a 12-year age statement, but that was removed) and rye whiskey, as well as barrel-proof versions of both styles. There are also some special editions, like the toasted oak finished bourbon. But for many whiskey fans, the single barrel lineup is peak Elijah Craig. As mentioned before, a few months ago Heaven Hill introduced a superb, high-proof new 15-year-old single barrel bourbon, and then just last month it reintroduced the 18-year-old, which was first released back in 1994. Today, the distillery has announced the re-release of the 94-proof 21-year-old for the first time since 2013, which currently stands as the oldest age statement in production—albeit, in limited numbers.
“Elijah Craig 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon is a sophisticated, more mature sibling to our vaunted Single Barrel collection and becomes our oldest age statement currently available,” said master distiller Conor O’Driscoll in a statement. “Our fans have been waiting for a new 20-year-plus-aged release, and this won’t disappoint. Expect the signature warm spice that Elijah Craig is known for, with new layers that reveal the transformative power of extended maturation.”
We got an early sample of the new whiskey, and while the oak notes are strong here, as you’d expect after more than two decades aging in Kentucky, it’s a layered and complex sipper with a surprisingly delicate palate. Look for notes of cinnamon, vanilla custard, crème brûlée, bananas foster, grape jelly, black pepper, and dark chocolate.
Of course, this will be a bit harder to get your hands on than your average bottle of Elijah Craig. The 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon is being officially released on Saturday, June 14—which also happens to be National Bourbon Day—exclusively at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown, Kentucky (SRP $300). Bottles go on sale at 11 a.m., and master distiller Conor O’Driscoll and artisanal distiller Jodie Filiatreau will be there signing bottles. If you can’t make it out, 1,789 bottles will reach select retailers in the coming months.
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Jonah Flicker
