Review | Elijah Craig Straight Rye

The American whiskey brand of Elijah Craig has announced the release of their rye expression into the UK market. We were invited to the launch event of the Elijah Craig Straight Rye. The spirits has a mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn and 14% malted barley. This heavy reliance on corn as the secondary grain makes the spirit highly suited to long maturation, which has enabled this rye whiskey to reach eight years of age.

The brand is named after a baptist preacher from Virginia - the Reverend Elijah Craig. He migrated to Kentucky in the early 1780s and became a local entrepeneur. In addition to his religious work, his businesses included running wool and paper mills plus being the local fire chief in Georgetown, Kentucky. However, he is best known for being one of the early pioneers of the bourbon industry in the state and set up his distillery in 1789. The modern Elijah Craig whiskies are produced at the Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.

The Elijah Craig Straight Rye is bottled at 47% ABV (94 Proof) and is now available from selected specialist whisky retailers in the UK. A bottle will cost £45.

Our Tasting Notes

The colour is deep coppery gold and the nose full of toffee, vanilla and caramel aromas. These are quickly joined by further aromas of milk chocolate, candied orange peel and a hint of maraschino cherry. There is a kick of peppery warming spices that also evolves - think of cinnamon, clove and black peppercorns.

On the palate this whiskey is immediately peppery and spicy. The warming spices from the nose combine with some drying freshly sawn oak notes to present an initial challenge. But things quickly resolve themselves as sweeter notes begin to evolve. Caramel, toffee and golden syrup lead the way and are followed by creamy vanilla fudge and sweet cocktail cherry. There are also hints of milk chocolate and vanilla patisserie custard. These notes compliment the spice and drying characteristics well, which begin to dominate again towards the end. Further hints of bitter orange, fresh mint and eucalyptus oil also come through late on.

As a result the finish becomes quite earthy and woody. The peppery heat returns, specially once the sweeter elements fade. The bitter orange and cinnamon linger longest. The clove, mint and eucalyptus are not far behind. But the oak wins out and leaves a delicious tannic dryness right at the close.

What's The Verdict?

Rye whiskey is pretty hot at the moment, but not many carry this sort of age. At eight years old this shows that Elijah Craig was well ahead of the curve in developing a rye - something that many large brands have done after seeing the popularity of the style enjoy a renaissance thanks to the craft and artisanal distilling scene. This is a classic rye whiskey, being super spicy and woody. This makes it perfect for such iconic American whiskey cocktails as the Manhattan and Old Fashioned, as well as sipping neat or over ice. Grab a glass, sip and savour.