Elijah Craig 18yo, 45%

[Willie JJ]

Elijah Craig 18yo, 45%, Barrel 2367, into barrel 27th Oct 1989

Colour: Auburn
Nose: Light orange, intense linseed, some vanilla and a hint of barley sugar. The wood via the linseed dominates though.
Palate: Orange at the tip of the tongue and then a wash of intense oak all over the palate.
Finish: Oaky bitterness with occasional sweet sparkles, long and drying.
Comment: This is one for lovers of woody drams. The wood is all over it without being unpleasant. I thought the EC12 had got a bit woody, but it was the heavy spice that was making me think that. There's no real weight of spice on this one. The wood is gentle and delicate, for all its dominance.

[TheTross]

Nose: Very sweet! Lots of marzipan and sugar, with a lovely earthy edge. Slightly bitter orange and a little desiccated coconut. Dust, wood smoke and wood spice. Becomes nutty over time, which joins the marzipan notes well to form Christmas cake aromas. Vanilla ice-cream with chocolate sauce drizzled over it.

Palate: Very subtle in comparison to the nose and quite watery. Raisins? Slightly oaky, with weak citrus fruit (mainly lemon) and vanilla. Quite hot!

Finish: Short but sweet, with vanilla and hints of lemon sorbet. A light oaky bitterness rounds things off.


I must say that the palate is hugely disappointing in comparison to what the nose promised. A nice, albeit short finish. I think I prefer the 12yo offering from Elijah Craig, it seems to have more going on.