Description
Elijah Craig New Zealand Exclusive Barrel 1 7289774 700ml is a single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon drawn from barrel number 7289774 and selected for the New Zealand market. It comes from Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, the family-owned distiller behind Elijah Craig, and because it is one barrel rather than a batch, the bottling is a one-off.
Buy Elijah Craig New Zealand Exclusive Barrel 1 Online in NZ
Elijah Craig is named after the Reverend Elijah Craig, an eighteenth-century Baptist preacher and Kentucky pioneer. Bourbon folklore credits him with being among the first to age whiskey in charred oak barrels. Whether or not the story is true, charred new oak is now central to bourbon, and the Elijah Craig range is built around rich, oak-led whiskey.
Heaven Hill makes Elijah Craig from a mash of mostly corn with smaller amounts of malted barley and rye, which gives a sweet, rounded base with a little spice. The spirit is matured in new charred American oak in Heaven Hill’s rickhouses, where Kentucky’s warm summers and cold winters push the whiskey in and out of the wood.
Single barrel picks like this one let a market or retailer choose a barrel with a character they like. Every barrel ages differently depending on where it sits in the rickhouse, so the colour, strength and flavour of this bottling belong to barrel 7289774 alone. Check the label for the exact strength.
Sip it neat first, then add a few drops of water and see how it opens up. It also makes a bold Old Fashioned. Pair it with smoked brisket, aged cheddar or a pecan pie.
- Single barrel Kentucky straight bourbon, barrel 7289774
- Selected for the New Zealand market
- Made by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky
Expect the Elijah Craig hallmarks of caramel, vanilla and toasted oak, with baking spice and dark fruit. The finish is long, warm and oaky.
A rewarding bottle for bourbon fans who like to compare single barrels, or a considered gift for a whiskey collector.
