Elijah Craig Small Batch (750 ml)

Elijah Craig Small Batch takes its name from the Baptist minister credited — apocryphally or not — with first aging whiskey in charred oak barrels in Kentucky in the late 18th century, a story Heaven Hill has used to anchor its commitment to the char-forward maturation that defines this expression. Produced at Heaven Hill's Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, the bourbon draws on grain sourced from the limestone-rich water corridor of the Bluegrass State, where calcium-heavy, iron-free water shapes fermentation character from the ground up. Distilled to no more than 160 proof, entered into new charred American oak barrels at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV), the whiskey meets all federal straight bourbon requirements while Heaven Hill layers complexity by pulling barrels from multiple floors of its rick warehouses — upper floors delivering higher heat exposure and faster wood interaction, lower floors contributing slower, cooler extraction. The small-batch designation means individual barrels are selected and vatted in limited quantities rather than mass-blended, preserving barrel-level variation. Elijah Craig Small Batch carries no age statement but is generally composed of barrels in the 8–12 year range, offering a drinking window that is wide open now.