Battle Royale - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A117 vs. B517
Here's a comparison I've been looking forward to doing for a while. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is one of my favorite bourbons, and I gave its B517 release my first A+ rating last month. Unfortunately, my local liquor store seems to have cottoned on to the liquid gold they have in this bottle. I went a month ago and found none of them left on the shelf, and then went again this weekend and saw that they'd restocked but also jacked the price up from $70 to $88! In the meantime, we'd ordered a bottle of the A117 online for a (comparative) bargain price of $58 plus its $10 share of the shipping costs.
A117 is the first release in Elijah Craig's facelift of the much-loved Barrel Proof series and features the fancy new bottle and new numbering system. As I explained in my B517 review, the letter stands for the release in a given year (e.g., A is the first release), the first one or two digits after that represent the month (e.g., 1 for January), and the last two digits represent the year. In comparison to B517, A117 is a bit more muscular, weighing in at 127 proof (63.5%) in contrast to the slightly more sedate 62.1% of the second release. Both are light compared to past ECBP releases, most of which have been 67%+. Otherwise, however, the basic stats are identical: same age (12 years), same mashbill (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley).
One important thing to note: let these bourbons open up after you uncork them. Particularly with cask strength alcohol, there is a big benefit for some reason to opening a bottle and letting it "breathe" a bit, to use the correct parlance. When we first opened both, they were hot as Hades; after a few weeks, they mellowed out considerably and more of the underlying flavors shone through.
With that word of advice, how does A117 compare to B117?
Appearance: You'd have to have a colorimeter to distinguish between these two beautiful, copper or amber-colored bourbons. Their great viscosity is apparent in how they cling to the glass. Sexy.
Nose: The family resemblance reveals itself right away in A117's nose, which is spicy and woody (oak and cedar). On the savory, bitter, and smoky side of the balance are butter, tobacco, and oiled leather. The sweet half features banana, caramel, and some chocolate. There is some vanilla as well. It's a little hotter than the B517, but the biggest difference between the two is that B517 has more vanilla and dried, toasted woodiness, more fresh fruits, and less butter and banana. I shouldn't exaggerate the difference, however; the two are similar, these are relatively minor differences, particularly compared to other bourbons.
Palate: A117 has more of an idiosyncratic palate for a bourbon, featuring flavors that are highly reminiscent of salty, buttered popcorn and caramel corn. I get banana again, then some more conventional flavors of caramel, butterscotch, and oaky tannins. B517 is sweeter but also woodier, with more pronounced tannins producing more a teeth-coating effect. Again, these bourbons aren't night and day, nor should anyone expect them to be. Both share a great harmony of sweet notes playing in an oakier, smokier framework. The saltiness of A117 throws me off a bit, as I'm used to the sea salt aspect of Islay scotches but don't expect that in a bourbon.
Finish: They're most similar in the finish, both featuring lots of oak, spiciness, chest-warming heat, and vanilla. B517 is, as it has been in the first two phases, oakier. It also has a bit more vanilla, and then more cinnamon at the tail end.
With Water: I rarely add water and typically don't review anything diluted. But with both these barrel proof bourbons clocking in at 62%+, I wanted to see how they took a splash. A117 gets more floral in the nose, while B gets muskier and has a little oregano (again, a woodier nose). A117 better maintains its flavors, with a mild, buttery, floral, spicy character, reminiscent of Four Roses' distillery profile but with less fruit. B517 fades into a more generic sweet-and-oak combination, so I didn't like it as much with water. A117's finish is vanilla and buttery popovers, while B517 leans on the cinnamon and spice notes.
Final Impressions: If you prefer watering your barrel proof bourbons, A117 wins. It reminds me of an oakier Four Roses. It's a solid A bourbon either neat (where it's hotter than its lighter brother) or with water. B517 earned an A+ from me neat, as it's just about perfect with that powerful rush of vanilla, oak, fruit, caramel, and cinnamon spice. It would probably drop to a B+ or A- with water because it does not take dilution as well. These are both spectacular bourbons. I'm not loving how my local liquor store is gouging us on the price, but it's well worth a purchase in the $70-80 range, and I'd probably pay up to $100 if I didn't have alternative sources.
Ratings (neat): A (A117), A+ (B517)