These are always a buy for me. I agree these are always a great value even though some are much better than others. You'll hear many whiskey tubers talk about $10 per year of age being an acceptable price to pay for bourbon and these are always way below that threshold.
I always buy them also, so when this c923 hype just made that bottle completely unavailable for me here, it really bugged me since I’ve been such a loyal EC/HH fan.
I’ve had store picks that are 10 years old, and younger, that were very good. As long as it’s good, the age and proof can vary, in fact, it adds to my interest in getting each new batch, not all being the same
@@TheMashandDrum true true. Like you said, it’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the year has in store. Maybe the plan is to release their heavy hitter in the C batch every year
I've noticed that people compliment a whiskey by saying it punches about it's proof on "lower" proof bottles and also compliment higher proof bottles (130+) by saying it drinks like a much lower proof and is very easy to enjoy. Great review!
Thanks Jason…you are the most believable of all the reviewers I watch. If I find one of these I will def pick one up as they are so rare! Throw em down! 🥃
That's what's up! Totally agree.. I love DIFFERENT batches, not same ol same ol 12 year, nice to have variety within the different year's releases. Love it!
Appreciate how grounded your reviews are for annual releases like this, because you compare to the entire line and not just the outstanding batches. Thanks, Jason!
If I could actually buy these at $70, I wouldn't care about their stats and get it every time. But being usually $90-100+, I start to pick and choose which one I actually want.
It's pretty much a 10 year store pick. We are used to the releases being older and having more oak. B523 wasn't the best batch, but no one could complain about a lack of oak. I will buy this and see. The price is right.
Some of my county's store picks have been barrel proofs with age statements as low as 9 years. I always grab them when I see them, because some of them are amazing, even with the lower age statement!
Agreed! Same here. I've only skipped one, and it wasn't because it was "only" 8 years, it's because I have 6 ECBPs already and I need to calm the hell down. 😂
That color difference. 😆 I know I know 3 more years. They are getting down into the store pick range, now store picks are generally more expensive at least around here. But I wonder since they are dipping so low if we will start to see these sit… a little longer at least.
BIN! 🤣Sounds interesting, and according to what the HH employee who guided us through our barrel pick told us, this is exactly why they went to a variable age statement so they can play with flavor profiles more.
Nice review! I really don’t mind the variation of age. It’s still a great value. Sometimes the lower proof makes for a good change in overall flavor. I thought the b523 was still good and because of all the craze on the c923 a lot of us never saw one anywhere. I really enjoy the c920 and c922 and the a123
Of course they had to drop the 12 year age statement. So many stores have ECBP Single Barrels! Even small mom and pops have them. It’s all about money and it’s depleting stocks that would have beefed up the regular releases. Awesome review Jason as always! Thank you.
Just bought this A124. Figured I'd better grab it while it was still relatively-readily-available. Grabbed it for around $60.00. I'd heard, "butterscotch" from other sources, and that will always lure me in. I agree... the C923 was a beast. And you were, indeed, correct. This A124 has been getting panned since you made this review. I think it's silly. EC has never let me down.
You're correct about the time of availability because I recently picked up an EC C923 and a couple Larceny C923 here in Wisconsin so who knows when anything A124 will show up.
I've seen a number of these A, B, & C reviews over the years (and drank a few of them). And what I see is the consistency of each one of these annual categories. Elijah Craig continues to offer what they do best to all palettes. Good review. Cheers
Definitely going to buy it if I can find it. The good thing about not being able to find/try the C923 is that any of the other recent batches don’t have to live up to it. 😂
I have a feeling we are going to look back at some point at these batches and say damn remember when these were 10-12 yrs old. My point is I think the age statements will start to get lower and lower with the occasional higher aged batch thrown in from time to time. I wouldn't be surprised in 2-3 years or less if there are 6-7yr ECBP batches. Bookers does it and charges more msrp so why can't HH? Having said that, I will always buy ECBP batches.
Rewatching! I just picked up my bottle of A124 today and I think it’s a great pour! I’m really enjoying this one a lot! Getting ready to try my bottle of Larceny A124 next! I never got a ECBP C923 but I do have a store pick that’s 133 proof and it’s really nice also!
I actually liked this one pretty solidly. Not saying my favorite. But i got this interesting dusty type profile that im probably not describing well. But it set with me pretty well and i enjoy it. I did pick up that tobacco that you got, definitely no regrets.
3:47 I've learned not to review something until the third glass at least. It's not so much that the "neck pour" is misleading, but rather that even with whiskies that don't change much if at all after opening, I just can't properly understand a whisky on the first or second glass. But with those that do change, the third glass seems to be when the juice settles down.
I recently picked one up. Initially, it reminded me of KC12 with more pepper. There’s a lot going on when that heat hits. Several flavors linger and go in and out. It may be citrus that I can’t pick out. Mine had some nutty character on the front. The heat reminds me a little of a wasabi burn that trails off. I’m not big on high proof, so I’m surprised I appreciated the pour.
What heaven hill should be prepared for is the consumer that does not want to pay the same price for a 10 yr and change age statement, when they can wait and pay the same price for a 12 or even 13 yr age statement.
The store picks have always been lower age and usually lower proof than the batched barrel proofs, so the main thing they've had going for them has been the uniqueness of a single barrel. That has changed for the first time for me with this batch, I picked up an 11 year store pick @ 122 proof which means on paper I lean towards the store pick on all 3 stats
Found this and the most Larceny BP last night and the EC actually rang up below MSRP at around $65 which I was pretty stoked about. I would have been happy with it either way though, I think even at normal price it's a good bourbon. For whatever reason it does not taste as peppery to me as most reviewers seem to believe, I get that very strong and pleasant sweet nuttiness that I associate with heaven hill. Not really that hung up on the age/proof personally, I'm pretty firmly in the "it's ready when it's ready" camp and it doesn't taste like it was rushed or bottled too early to me. Plenty rich and oaky without hitting over oaked territory, I think it's right about in the sweet spot. I actually like the slightly lower proof too, but to my palate anything over around 120 tends to drink too hot without adding some water and I know that's not the case for everyone.
I live in Florida. I have purchased 9-year-old private barrels for $100 been pleased and Still have an unopened 9 year. Florida pricing is an issue. Don't expect to see any ECBP near me at MSRP
Just picked this up at my local Costco 65.99……..a few bottles left. I grabbed a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof instead of a second one of these…..What a spice bomb….
Amazing videos, info, and analysis as usual. Would you be able to do a year over year comparison of ECBP? Would be interested in your thoughts in retrospect since some 2022 and 2023 batches got some hate. How do they stack up now against the 2024 generation
Great review Jason C! I’m a huge ECBP fan and my all time favorite is the A123! I’m such a fan that I didn’t even open up my C923’s…. I’ll just have to open that up when all my backs up of the A123’s are finished 🤣
I always need 1 but on a good batch I get a couple. I care less about the age statement and more the quality of the whiskey. I think the concern over decreasing age statement is more so a concern of a downward trend in quality of a product we love. Hopefully this isn’t worse than B523, maybe a double bass to settle it 😂
I love me some ECBP. We are where we are with the bourbon boom. Can’t change it. Accept it or don’t drink it 🤷🏽♂️. The major distillers are gonna do what they do. 🤦🏼♂️ 😱
Back in 1997 or 98 a friend that Buffalo Trace at the time told me they were changing the bottling from the old bottling and taking the 12-year off the front and doing a bunch of crazy things so I went out and spent a whole more bunch of money than I should have lol and bought cases of booze now today my 12-year-old 1997s I've been offered $500 a bottle for them and my 1992 wellers people go crazy and to think I paid less than $50 for them😂
I've been a fan of ECBP over the years. Personally I'll be picking up this one, i enjoy spice. My favorite remains C919 but i still have to compare it to C923. Great review as always, Cheers 🥃
Mixed in with the A124 nut bomb I get a really seriously funky earthy dirt at the tail end of the peanut flavor. That just totally turned me off to this particular one. Not as funk as something like a Calumet 14, but just too noticeable for me.
I wouldn't expect it to directly compare to C923. What other bourbons are we expecting to compare to older, higher proof expressions? Right? I'm still going to pick one up if I see it because I really enjoy ECBPs in general and I appreciate their differences. Arguably all Stagg releases are different so why can't these all be different ya know? Cheers Jason, thanks for reviewing this one!
Interesting. After dropping the age statement, not one of the next 3 EJBP bottles came in with a 12 year age statement. A 10 year, 11 year and 13 year.
I'm out on this bottle, not b/c of the age statement (Larceny BP is consistently one of my favorite bourbons), but because of the flavor profile. I don't like ryes or bourbons that drink really spicy. Still hoping to find C923........
I've heard that the Larceny A124 is a bit spicier than the usual as well. Not sure how true that is only heard that from one source and I'm yet to try it.
Have to laugh at the availability. Seems B523 has been around forever, A123 is showing up on shelves now and I just saw Larceny C923 for the first time this past weekend.
The last couple I bought in MO were around $70-$75 I think....don't recall completely but I've never paid $90 for a bottle. I'm 20 min NE of Kansas City.
I will buy it. Of course I wish it would match C923. I will maybe not buy less than 12 years in the future if two lower ages in a row are sub par. Below 10 years, I will not buy it.
I couldn't help but notice that you took your first sip and then edited it out to come back for a second sip. For me, the fresh crack pour was really bad, unbalanced, hot, spicy, nasty in the mouth. But when I came back to it a few days later, the sweetness was more apparent. I still found it too spicy/hot for its proof, but it definitely showed me a great example of how sometimes a fresh crack bottle needs to be re-visited later.
B and C batches ALWAYS destroy the A batch every year……2-3 additional years of aging makes a HUGE difference…….as does 10-15 proof points! I’ll be waiting for the B and C batch this year (as usual).
Dude, don’t act high and mighty and above others. You can’t possibly tell me that these kinds of things don’t matter. You know they do. Value comprises more than just taste. Most of us don’t have unlimited budgets to buy every single bottle that hits the market. We try to make, informed, reasoned, smart decisions with which bottles we buy. And herein lies the problem with A124…….
@@DaveH8905 so your implying that a bourbon that's 3 months short of 11 years old and 70 dollars in today's market is a bad value? This another solid batch of ECBP. Folks will give it a bad rap for one of two reasons....either they don't like the age statement or they can't flip it for more money. Now if anyone flat out doesn't like it ..that's fine...but I won't stop buying it. I do think that heaven hill does need make sure these stand out from the regular single barrels they are putting out there.
Also, if you don’t care about age statements, or proof points, or the history and reputation and standards of ECBP as a whole, and you are perfectly happy to snag up every batch no matter what, enjoy it and not complain, and be the most happy go lucky ECBP drinker, then GREAT! No big deal. Love it. But don’t take the piss out of those who do care about those things and act like we’re being immature.
