Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old Age Statement Removed – Now 8 to 12-Year-Old Bourbon

Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. tells BourbonBlog.com that due to increasing demand, Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon will soon drop the 12-year-old age statement and be replaced with a blend of 8 to 12-year-old Bourbon. Not long ago, the distillery moved the 12-year-old age statement to the back of the bottle (see photos above). Since then, the Bourbon became known as “Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon,” but the actual whiskey was stated on the bottle to have been aged at least 12 years.

So how does the new version of Elijah Craig taste with younger Bourbons as compared to the original Elijah Craig 12? We ask Bernie Lubbers, Brand Ambassador at Heaven Hill Distilleries.

“It tastes different. But still delish. I’m sure everyone will be tasting and posting notes,” says Lubbers.

Regardless if you have tasted the new expression or intend to, tell us how you feel about the removal of age statements by voting in our poll below and leave a comment. Because the response on social from consumers like you may affect what decisions all distilleries make on future releases for age statements, we encourage you to Tweet by simply clicking here asking your friends to vote as well.

While Heaven Hill says that this Bourbon will contain 8 to 12-year-old Bourbons for now, it is important to note that a lack of age statement on any brand of Straight Bourbon Whiskey indicates no legal guarantee of what is actually in the bottle except that it at least 4-years-old.

The new batches of Elijah Craig will soon be shipped with the 94 proof and price remaining the same for now.

Lubbers says demand is up so much that Heaven Hill would have to actually go into allocation with a price increase if they had kept the the fully aged 12-year old.

Lubbers explains this is a good problem to have. “Tough decisions having to be made. But we still have more products age stated than anyone in the industry,” Lubbers tells BourbonBlog.com.

The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon will stay at 12-years-old for now.

The dropping of the age statement news for Elijah Craig 12-year-old comes after the re-release to the market of the Elijah Craig 18-year-old this past October.

There is no word yet if Elijah Craig 12 will ever return as it once was. As BourbonBlog.com will stay with this story, we invite you to subscribe to our newsletter on this link so we can update you.

A popular cocktail made with Elijah Craig 12 over the years has been The Barnyard. Created by BourbonBlog.com Mixologists Stephen Dennison, it leverages the strong cooperage flavor of the Elijah Craig 12 along with a small touch of Islay Scotch and a few other surprises. Cocktail recipe here.