Nose - This nose is best described as woody, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since it’s been sitting in the barrel for 23 years. Deep notes of mahogany are up front and present upon first smelling this bourbon. Hiding behind the mahogany are light traces of grain and dried fruit, predominantly dried cherry. While very pleasant, the nose is much more subtle than prior editions of high aged Elijah Craig. It just didn't hold my attention as much as some of the others.
Elijah Craig 21yr opened up a lot with 5-6 drops of water when I reviewed it, so I decided to do the same when tasting this 23 year old. This time around, the water added very little to the overall nose. Instead it tended to enhance the mahogany smell to a fuller, deeper version. Unfortunately this came as a tradeoff since it slightly muted the light traces of grain and dried fruit that were present before adding the water.
Palate - Wood, wood, and more wood…this bourbon is an oak monster! Up front you’re hit with a taste of very dried charred oak, which is the predominant flavor profile for this bourbon. It’s hard to describe just how dry this bourbon is. The best comparison I have is if you were to take a sip of a very dry red wine and have almost all of the moisture sucked right out of your mouth. Additional hints of vanilla, honey and leather linger behind the wood taste.
Adding water to the palate greatly enhanced it. While still dry, the palate lost a lot of its wood flavor profile, and instead burst to life with sweet flavors of honey, dried cherries, apricot, and sunflower seeds (oddly enough!). The palate became very enjoyable after adding the water and even though it didn’t enhance the nose, I wouldn’t recommend drinking this bourbon any other way.
Finish - The dryness of the palate continues through to the finish. A mellow long finish of roasted nuts, leather, aged tobacco and light traces of pepper linger in your mouth.
Adding a few drops of water brought out more woody notes to the finish. Wood, dried raisins, and aged leather dominate after adding the water. Even with the water, the finish was long and mellow, and lingered in my mouth for an appreciable amount of time.
