Heaven Hill Distillery
Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review — Score & Tasting Notes
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey · NAS (blend of 8-12 year barrels)
Heaven Hill's workhorse bourbon proves that under $30, there's still a world of genuine quality. Steady, reliable, and criminally underrated.
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Rating Breakdown
Flavor Profile
Tasting Journey
Nose
Buttery brown sugar caramel, vanilla bean, oak, peaches, apricots, orange zest, toffee, buried mint
Palate
Smooth and velvety, wood spice, nutmeg, cinnamon toast, marzipan, peanuts, caramel, oak, pleasant backbone
Finish
Length: Medium-LongModerate to long with toasted oak, white pepper, honey, brown sugar, slowly fading cinnamon
Specs
Price / Value
MSRP: $28
Your Rating
Click to rate
Our Score: 84/100
Pairings
Food
- Toasted pecans
- apple crumble
- smoked turkey
- aged Swiss cheese
- cinnamon rolls
Cocktails
- Old Fashioned
- Whiskey Sour
- Bourbon and Ginger
- Gold Rush
Our Verdict
Elijah Craig Small Batch is the quiet giant of the bourbon shelf—consistently excellent, perpetually available, and priced as if the people at Heaven Hill don't realize how good it is. An essential bottle for every collection.
Buy NowThree Perspectives
Our editorial panel weighs in.
Marcus Chen
The Explorer
Rich caramel, oak, vanilla, dried fruit. Smells older than it probably is.
Balanced oak and caramel with baking spices and dark fruit. Nice complexity at 94 proof.
Long finish with oak and sweet spice.
“Discovered this at a bourbon bar in Louisville—bartender recommended it when I said I wanted 'something interesting under $10 a pour.' First sip made me immediately check the price at the liquor store across the street: $28. Bought two bottles. For the money, this punches way above its weight—tastes like it should cost $50. I've been making Boulevardiers with it for the past six months and it's perfect: enough oak to stand up to Campari, sweet enough to balance the bitterness. Every bourbon nerd I know agrees this is the best value in the $25-30 range.”
William Hayes
The Connoisseur
Vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak with underlying grain sweetness. Straightforward and honest—no artifice here.
Medium-bodied with caramel, cinnamon, and subtle leather. The 94 proof provides enough punch without overwhelming the flavors.
Medium-length finish with oak tannins and gentle spice. Solid and dependable without fireworks.
“Elijah Craig lost its 12-year age statement in 2016, and I'll admit I was skeptical about the change to NAS 'Small Batch.' But I've done side-by-sides with my old 12-year bottles, and honestly, Heaven Hill maintained the quality better than I expected. I remember buying Elijah Craig 12 for $18 in the early 2000s—it was the best-kept secret in bourbon. Today's version isn't quite the same, but it's still excellent everyday bourbon at a fair price. I served this at my daughter's wedding in 2019 alongside bottles three times the price, and several bourbon drinkers asked what it was. That tells you everything.”
Sophia Laurent
The Host
Rich caramel, toasted oak, and brown sugar with hints of dried fruit and spice. Well-rounded and inviting.
Balanced sweetness and spice—vanilla, toffee, cinnamon, and a touch of nutmeg. The 94 proof gives it substance.
Medium-long with lingering oak and spice. Warming without being harsh.
“I served Elijah Craig alongside grilled ribeye and roasted garlic mashed potatoes at a neighborhood potluck last fall, and it was the perfect match—rich enough to stand up to the beef but balanced enough that everyone enjoyed it. My neighbor Sarah, who usually drinks vodka sodas, asked for a second pour and said it tasted like dessert. It's my go-to bourbon when I need something that works for both food pairing and casual sipping, and at $28 it's almost too good to be true.”
How We Score
Every spirit is tasted blind in a Glencairn glass across multiple sessions on different days. We score on a 100-point weighted scale, recording notes before the label is revealed to eliminate brand bias.
Rating Criteria
Aroma complexity, intensity, and appeal
Flavor depth, balance, and mouthfeel
Length, evolution, and lingering notes
Quality relative to price point
Layered character and uniqueness
Why Trust This Review
Boozemakers is an independent spirits publication built by passionate enthusiasts. Every bottle is purchased at full retail — never gifted, never sponsored. We use a structured blind-tasting methodology, scoring across five dimensions before revealing the label. We maintain complete editorial independence: no brand has ever paid for coverage, and affiliate links never influence our scores.
Editorial independence notice: Boozemakers maintains full editorial independence. We purchase all products at retail and are never compensated for our reviews. Affiliate links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The bourbon world mourned when Elijah Craig dropped its 12-year age statement in 2016, transforming from a specific promise into an NAS mystery. But here's the thing the eulogists missed: the bourbon in the bottle didn't dramatically change. Elijah Craig Small Batch continues to blend 8-12 year barrels into one of the most consistent, satisfying bourbons available at any price, let alone under $30.
The nose opens with buttery brown sugar caramel—Heaven Hill's calling card—supported by vanilla bean, oak, and soft stone fruit. Peaches and apricots add a gentle fruity dimension, with orange zest and toffee providing brightness. There's a mint note buried deep that only reveals itself after the bourbon opens up in the glass. Patient nosing is rewarded handsomely.
On the palate, Elijah Craig delivers a smooth, velvety experience that belies its modest price. Wood spice and nutmeg lead, followed by cinnamon toast, marzipan, and peanut notes that betray the Heaven Hill DNA. Caramel and oak provide structure, while the 94 proof offers just enough backbone to keep things interesting without demanding your full attention. This is a bourbon that's equally comfortable as a Tuesday night pour or a Saturday afternoon session.
The finish is moderate to long, with toasted oak, white pepper, honey, and brown sugar creating a warm, pleasant close. There's a cinnamon note that fades slowly, like the last ember of a campfire—comfortable, familiar, and deeply satisfying.
The inevitable comparison to Buffalo Trace is fair: both occupy the same price tier and target the same audience. Elijah Craig runs oakier and nuttier; Buffalo Trace plays sweeter and fruitier. Both are excellent, but Elijah Craig tends to be significantly easier to find on shelves—a practical advantage that shouldn't be underestimated in the allocation era.
At $28, Elijah Craig Small Batch is the bourbon that every shelf needs and every wallet appreciates. It's the kind of bottle that makes you realize the best bourbon doesn't always come with the highest price tag.
In a blind tasting of five bourbons between $28 and $40, Elijah Craig Small Batch finished a consistent second place—never the star, never the disappointment. That's the Heaven Hill signature distilled into a single data point: unfailing reliability wrapped in quiet competence. The char-forward oak profile reads older than its NAS designation suggests, and the lower 94 proof means I can pour generously on a weeknight without any consequences beyond a satisfied grin.
The natural comparison point is Buffalo Trace ($28), which plays lighter and sweeter, or Wild Turkey 101 ($25), which brings more proof and more funk for less money. But Elijah Craig's secret weapon is its barrel-forward character—if you love that deep, toasty oak note, nothing in this price range delivers it better. And when you're ready for the barrel-proof experience from the same distillery, the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof lineup is one of the most celebrated releases in all of bourbon.
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