Should You STILL Buy Elijah Craig Barrel Proof "A" Batches?

[@ADHDWhiskey]

Hard to believe Dan hates the mushroom note so much when he is, indeed, a fun guy himself.

[@thadburill]

HA!

[@dannyfannyfoodle]

I see what you did there 🤡

[@WombatAnnihilator]

Yeah, he’s a good guy though - He grows on ya.

[@thadburill]

They broke the mold when they made him, but some grew back.

[@Subourbon]

last time i heard that I fell off my dinosaur.

[@BrandonF12]

Do the same thig for B and C batches. Take the top 2 from each and blind those 6.

[@jhart0512]

I've got a bottle of B521 right next to me on a shelf and it is fuggintasty. imo you can never go wrong adding a splash of water to any of the ECBP's.

[@systemtrend3194]

A120 is my goat ECBP batch, I really liked A123 though.great video idea, I wish you guys would do the B and C batches now lol.

[@NotUrGuru]

I absolutely loved the A123 from last year. So much so I bought 2 back ups. Had it second to the C923 and definitely ahead of the B523

[@MartyMcPie]

Gotta agree! It's the first one I happened to find after actively looking for a bottle and I was pleasantly surprised. Cheers, my guy!

[@joekirk7909]

A123 was a little slept on last year after the C923 came out. I thought the A123 was fantastic.

[@trevorlahey624]

I found a B520 in my garage last month!!

[@llamabones]

Shoutout to you guys for the single barrel video -- brought home a New Riff SiB that I think is legit the best shelfer I've ever tasted.

[@BourbonJunkies]

Glad you found it!

[@dannyfannyfoodle]

My last New Riff SiB was also incredible and, hands down, my favorite for the money. Pink bubble gum for days.

[@MartyMcPie]

New Riff is not only an amazing, findable shelfer but the single SiB bottles have given me some of the most unique flavors I've had. I've got a SiB bourbon right now that's big on BBQ chips. Cheers!

[@devinfleming3975]

Can you do a best 12 year blind? Kc 12 weller 12 jd 12 1792 12 etc

[@Lithanify]

Take that Cam... We don't hate it most and consider it undrinkable blind. We only hated it SECOND most and considered it undrinkable blind.

[@DrumsAndDrams]

LOL

[@jasono.1629]

😂

[@woknred1910]

Sharpie notes are interesting because I've had bottles that smell like heavy marker but taste fine & dandy, some that smell great but have marker notes on the palate, and then those that both smell/taste like markers.

[@Meowmeow0506]

Only ECBP I've ever come across that wasn't a store pick was the A123. That bottle is on its last legs, maybe 2 pours left, always really liked the bottle.

[@DAVIDJALVAREZ]

Those are old, I have the prirate bottle. I think 8 years now I had it.

[@BourbonJunkies]

Yesss we only have one of those and it's awesome!

[@bjoyos302]

I love A123. It has beat C923 in every blind for me. Favorites batch since C920.

[@nateduncan7089]

Last year's A batch was the only ECBP A Batch that I have bought a backup bottle of in 5 years. It was a great bottle.

[@bourbonbill]

Besides the 2020 release A123 was the best second only to C923

[@Jared40]

I just went to a store here in Colorado called Bevys literally 15 bottles of A124 on shelf 😅🥃

[@whisk-e-y_problems9075]

Have you tried that bottle of A122 beside someone else's bottle of the same batch. Curious if your bottle might be tainted like that Hancock's you had.

[@nickp5511]

Nice battle! I like the a A123 enough to buy a backup. Time for a B batch battle to see where the 523 places?

[@chrisbfd]

I looked high and low for the A123 batch after seeing your review last year. I finally found it in Miami in September.

[@49erFanMatt]

Agree… A123 was/is outstanding!

[@kylehaun8192]

I never thought id be turning a 70ishdollar bottle.of ecbp into a mixer for old fashions but A124 is the biggest dissapointment ive had this year

[@teamnolegs]

As A123 was the first ECBP I ever found on the shelf and bought it. Still have it and Ill be damned if it didnt turn into one of my favorite bottles. Was really hot off the rip, still is but the flavors have really come together now.

[@DrumsAndDrams]

Oh how the turn tables

[@jasono.1629]

Love the back and forth between you two 😂😂

[@noworldforeric]

cant wait for b524... 130 proof 11 year gonna be really nice

[@Lithanify]

Where do you see the specs before drop? I'd love to have that advance knowledge.

[@thomasmichael6509]

@@Lithanifyit got posted on heaven hills website yesterday or the day before

[@graveshotx]

I have an A122 (laser code A0112, not A0082 like I'm guessing you have) that has won 3 ECBP blinds for me against an assortment of barrel picks, C922, C923 (A023 laser code) and C923 (A022 laser code, beaten twice). A124 was wildly underwhelming for me. However, I really can't trust my instincts, now that I know about laser code variation. Someone really should gather all 3 pairs of ECBP batches from this year and blind them to see if they taste the same between laser codes or are distinctly different.

[@LeatherDaddy97]

I lost interest a bit once they got rid of the 12 yr age statement, mostly because i already had so many ecbps and didnt need to hunt out specific ones like that. But up until then you were still getting consistently btac level whiskey for about half the price anybody else was charging for the same thing. Ive still yet to have a stagg jr i thought was better than an ecbp in a blind. I think people get way too harsh on these. They feel like a victim of their own low price and high availability.

[@jasono.1629]

Very true. ECBP is still one of the best values out there.

[@zoolander221]

Was any of the A batches better than that Kentucky Owl Rye? Cheers Fellas, love my whiskey bag!

[@cartermayfield]

I loved A120. Hot? A little… but almost all ECBP’s lean hot except B522, which was so crushable. I go to that when I don’t feel like getting nuked.

[@Lithanify]

I REALLY dislike B523... I assume A123 is much better given your reaction to it?

[@thomasmichael6509]

A123 was much better than b523. It was much closer to C923 than it was to B523

[@FakingANerve]

Agreed. If you find it, you tell me and I'll take care of it!

[@Dafoodmaster]

I think A120 is one of your highest rated botles of ECBP, and you rated it higher than c918 even! That's what i seem to remember (those where the batches i got my hands on)

[@bruceatherto2232]

I loved A120 and finished off my 4th and last bottle in 2024. I remember A123 as being good but not outstanding. ECBP to me is always a good value at MSRP. Haven't sought out A124 due to the bad reviews from whiskeytubers. Everyones taste is different, I never got a magic marker note.

[@icombs17]

Umami means “delicious savoury taste” in Japanese.

[@ItsShatter]

A123 is closer to C923 than a lot of people think.

[@Abs0lut3_Z3r0]

One day I hope to find an ECBP, they’re not sold where I am (hell they rarely even sell normal Elijah Craig lol)

[@marcsingleton9430]

I've got to go along with many of the comments below, The ECBP A123 was great.

[@jonsnow782]

A119 was very good

[@coltongalt]

Just noticed the double eagle very rare on the shelf

[@lionelg4648]

Laser code please!

[@dancindan85]

"I thought I had a stroke halfway through." LMFAO I could definitely sit down and have a drink with you fuckin' guys!

[@0529mpb]

I think it is more random. The C batches do seem to be better quality with lower production, though.

[@BondingOverBourbon]

A batches have never wowed us, but that never stops us from grabbing them to try 😅. Great video, guys!

[@awsomenesscaleb]

A117, A118, A119 were among the best of all batches. A120 was pretty bad but still better than the stuff from 2021 onward. IMO there is no overall difference in quality among A, B, and C batches and there are good and bad ones for each

[@jasono.1629]

This exactly

[@Ona1000]

Cam kept bringing up a “Grassy” note in his review I believe. I assume that’s the earthy note you guys were talking about.

[@WombatAnnihilator]

Earthy is usually darker musty funk while grassy is lighter and drier. To me.

[@69CamaroSS]

Ferociously hunted every batch every years since they started releasing these. They’re now (in my area) pushing $90 and rarely worth it!! Doubt I’ll buy them again. Greed kills, I’m out of this hunt! ✌️👋

[@llamabones]

Still an insta buy at $90. Barrel proof age stated bourbon from a legacy distiller at or less than $10/year is rare.

[@0529mpb]

Some of the pirate bottles were among the best whiskeys ever made.

[@llamabones]

Those days are over and done, but modern ECBP still punches above it's price. Knob Creek SiB is close, but that's 9 years compared to 9-13 that Elijah Craig is doing.

[@jasono.1629]

No surprise A120 was at least 2nd. Really surprised it wasn’t 1st over all the post 2020 bottles.

[@ehtater]

A120 cost double what A123 costs on secondary lists.

[@claytonmitchell5685]

As an A123 lover, I feel vindicated

[@jeffnuzz]

Good to hear your reviews and fun to watch you guys ....buuuut, sorry, unless you're standing around someone's grave or maybe sitting around a campfire, taking a swig out of a bottle and passing it around is just, well ...not classy. Had to be said. 😅

[@UKmerk33]

Had to drain pour my A122. Same intense sharpie note at bottle crack and 6 mo later. Worst whisky I’ve ever tried!

[@kamahhl]

Sounds like Cam was right A24 is basically last

[@0529mpb]

The midpalate on A124 is not good. It's earthy sour oak. I had a pour. I will not buy it. Larceny A124 is very good.

[@jeffnuzz]

Wow, this was rather confusing. Would be great if you guys could edit to put what you are sampling while you are tasting ...or at least put up a graphic of ranking by rank and bottle at the end.

[@holdorf333]

as a philosopher would say: if you like a thing you should still buy it. if you dont really like a thing, you prob shouldn't -niel the grass tyson

[@amytg777]

econ student here. if you like a thing, but you like another thing better for the same amount of money/effort/time, prob don't buy the first thing

[@McGolf]

I love how he gets all the nose note then sucks the snot into the sinus cavity and then wipe his nose hahahahaha. What cubs did you get in

[@BourbonJunkies]

He bought some Mizuno jpx hot metals

[@aholzmeyer]

Double eagle just chillin in the background

[@ehtater]

more of a 1/8th eagle now

[@WombatAnnihilator]

I’m wondering where the penis decanter went though.

[@Whiskey_Trek]

Hey that’s meeee!

[@eafarrar]

New merch idea: "EverNorth Spirits: Come To Find Out"

[@onggia850]

What angers me about being excited about finding an ECBP, even at MSRP, is tasting it and finding it only slightly better than Benchmark Full Proof. Don't get me wrong, some are bangers but so many are duds.

[@LeatherDaddy97]

Im a strong disagree on that one

[@jimmatthews6150]

Only batch worth buying past 2020 was C923 which was absolutely a beast. I personally love A920, but not as good as A919.

[@jasono.1629]

Agreed, after C920 they started going downhill immediately starting with A121 and every batch since. Still good tasting, but not to the level it once was.

[@FakingANerve]

Agreed. Stop buying them and leave them on the shelves. Actually, not only leave them on the shelves, encourage others to avoid them like the plague.

[@kokoaDarkPenguin88]

THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE finally admitting the A124 is SUPER EARTHY, blinds do make fools of us all 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 remember when they said fruity and whatever EC wrote up in the ad 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 Thank you for this vid, I knew I and everyone around me wasn't crazy 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@mackal]

Umami is a borrowed word from Japanese.

[@francisrizzo1529]

They used "umami" because "moist" was already taken...

[@danrudnick5252]

So much taint talk. Here for it.

[@phlcollison]

Feel free to send me that bottle of A122 😁

[@shredward666]

C919 hands down the best ECBP in the past 5 years

[@rickbradley7879]

If u like ROCKET FUEL

[@tonysilwanowicz2716]

the best dirty shirt in the laundry

[@bradriley224]

Without knowing laser codes, which might make what I'm about to say invalid, it's pretty obvious that you guys have a tainted bottle. Who thinks A122 is amazingly good? Most importantly me. Other than that, pretty much all of my go-to whiskey reviewers: Fred Minnick, Matt Porter, Jason C and the SLB guys. By the way, you two are near the top of my go-to reviewers as well. Cheers!

[@skramzy6628]

First. maybe!?

[@The_Whiskey_Cart]

All notes after that coffee can be thrown out 😕

[@travisrobeson306]

You two sons-a-batches! 😅

[@Sladvan]

What do you mean still? I thought no one liked them

[@BourbonJawnt]

Real corks do suck 💯

[@406fanatic]

Bro the nose sniffling is almost unbearable in this video

[@jeremykoenig6671]

They are all garbage for the price. Let’s be honest.