Drink of the Week: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon

You can keep your hot apple cider. Nothing against a steaming cup with a cinnamon stick floating in it. But when autumn comes around, my interest lies elsewhere. And along with the leaves changing color and the weekends being filled with football, there’s another fall certainty we can count on each year: that Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distillery will release a new batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon.

This season’s release (C923, if we’re being specific) continues an 11-year pattern from Elijah Craig’s Barrel Proof lineup. This particular expression weighs in at an expressive 133 proof. And the youngest barrels in the batch were aged for 13 years and 7 months.

At 133 proof, this bourbon begs for a splash of water to fully open up in the glass. The whiskey’s age comes through with notes of toasted coconut, dried apple, and toffee on the nose. Butterscotch and vanilla sweep in at the first sip, following through to sprinkles of baking spice and pepper, with a long and luscious finish.

Hot cider may help warm up your insides on a cool autumn day. A good barrel-proof bourbon can do the same for your outlook on life. $74.99, elijahcraig.com