Elijah Craig has been a name I've reached for behind the bar more times than I can count. The standard Small Batch is one of those bourbons that punches well above its price point, so when Heaven Hill decided to take that same liquid and give it a second maturation in toasted barrels, my ears pricked up. Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon takes the already solid foundation of the original and runs it through new American oak barrels that have been toasted rather than charred — a process that coaxes out a different set of flavours from the wood.
For anyone unfamiliar with the distinction, charring burns the inside of the barrel quickly at high heat, creating that classic layer of carbon that acts as a filter. Toasting, on the other hand, uses lower heat over a longer period, which breaks down the wood's hemicellulose and lignin more gradually. The result? You tend to get more caramel, vanilla, and baking spice influence rather than the heavy char and smoke notes. It's a subtle but meaningful difference, and it's one that bourbon drinkers should pay attention to.
At 47% ABV, this sits at a confident proof — not cask strength, but certainly not watered down either. That's 94 proof in American terms, which gives it enough backbone to stand up in cocktails while still being perfectly approachable neat. It's a NAS expression, so Heaven Hill aren't telling us exactly how long the base spirit spent in its first barrel, but given what we know about the Elijah Craig range, there's clearly some well-aged bourbon in the blend before it ever meets that toasted oak.
Tasting Notes
I won't fabricate specific tasting notes here — what I will say is that the toasted barrel finish shifts the profile in a direction that fans of sweeter, rounder bourbons will genuinely appreciate. If you enjoy bourbons that lean into butterscotch, warm baking spices, and rich vanilla rather than heavy oak tannin and char, this is squarely in your territory. The secondary maturation rounds off some of the sharper edges you might find in a standard bourbon of this proof, making it drink remarkably smoothly for its strength.
The Verdict
At around £51.75, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel sits in a competitive space. You're paying a premium over the standard Small Batch, and the question is whether that toasted barrel finish justifies the extra spend. For me, it does. The additional complexity and the softer, more dessert-forward character give this bourbon a personality that's distinct enough to earn its place on the shelf rather than just being a gimmick. It's not reinventing the wheel — it's taking a wheel that already worked and fitting it with a better tyre. A 7.7 out of 10 feels right: this is a genuinely good bourbon that delivers something a little different without losing what makes Elijah Craig reliable in the first place.
Best Served
This bourbon is built for an Old Fashioned. The toasted barrel character brings its own sweetness and spice complexity, so you can afford to go easy on the sugar — half a teaspoon of demerara syrup, two dashes of Angostura, and a wide orange peel expressed over the glass. The toasted vanilla and caramel notes from the barrel finishing will do the heavy lifting. If you prefer it neat, give it five minutes in the glass to open up; that extra time lets the softer wood influence really come through. A single large ice cube works beautifully too — as the dilution creeps in, this bourbon keeps revealing new layers rather than falling flat.
