fishnbowljoe Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Well, I had a few bourbons all lined up as potential BOTM's. All were bourbons that had been the BOTM before, but not in quite a while. Then I got to noticing sumpthin'. There are 1,221 posts in the ECBP thread, and it hasn't been the BOTM yet. :skep: My bad folks. :crazy: So………………Voila! The BOTM for this month is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. :bigeyes: My two cents here FWIW, and really only two cents this time. I've tasted ECBP from two or three different batches. I'm sorry to say that it's just not my cup of tea, but I can definitely understand why a lot of folks here sing its praises. So let's hear it. Whadaya all have to say about ECBP? :grin: Cheers, Happy September, and have fun posting! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Count me among those who find EC BP not only tasty but a great value. I get lots of coffee and chocolate as well as the usual bourbony flavors. And it is so rich and thick you can think of it as bourbon concentrate. Shared some neat with a friend the other night. Because he had not had it before, I cautioned him to sip carefully. Just because it says EC 12 on the label doesn't mean it can be treated casually. My local bourbon merchant has instructions to call whenever it is in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Count me among those who find EC BP not only tasty but a great value. I get lots of coffee and chocolate as well as the usual bourbony flavors. And it is so rich and thick you can think of it as bourbon concentrate. Shared some neat with a friend the other night. Because he had not had it before, I cautioned him to sip carefully. Just because it says EC 12 on the label ^What he said^! I'd say it was the best new release of the past few years. I mean, HH just gave us exactly what most of us dream of....a fully aged, barrel proof bomb, chocked full of flavor, complex in character... oh, and with a initial release price of under $50! We should be so lucky that this was not a dream! Oh wait, it wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil T Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 UOTE=Paddy;438109]Count me among those who find EC BP not only tasty but a great value. I get lots of coffee and chocolate as well as the usual bourbony flavors. And it is so rich and thick you can think of it as bourbon concentrate. Shared some neat with a friend the other night. Because he had not had it before, I cautioned him to sip carefully. Just because it says EC 12 on the label ^What he said^! I'd say it was the best new release of the past few years. I mean, HH just gave us exactly what most of us dream of....a fully aged, barrel proof bomb, chocked full of flavor, complex in character... oh, and with a initial release price of under $50! We should be so lucky that this was not a dream! Oh wait, it wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 **and Joe, starting the September thread in August! ! :bowdown: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskeyagonzo Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm curious as to what the fox has to say about ECBP ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zillah Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Love this stuff. I always remarked about how good EC12 was but how much better it would be if they offered it at 100+ proof. Well, my prayers were answered. I don't think it is as stellar as much as the rest of the LE stuff, but it is, IMO, the best value in bourbon. What sets this one apart is that it is rich. One of the richest I have had and that usually means I can only have 1 pour and I am satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavius Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I got a bottle from the first batch, way back when. I thought it was pretty good and a bargain for what I paid for it. In the end, though, it didn't blow me away. But that may have something to do with the fact that I cannot stand regular Elijah Craig 12. I like most everything else from HH. But EC12 just has a floral component to my taste that I don't care for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 When I first came into ECBP it was in the context of glowing reviews, the thrill of finding a hard to limited release, and high expectations. Given that build up, I was slightly disappointed at first. It had an earthy note for me (which I've since come to realize that some might call woody) and was super rich to the point of almost being too much. I knew it was different, but was having a hard time truly appreciating it. This was early in my bourbon journey so I wasn't yet equipped to "get" this one. Many months later with a more experienced and developed palate, I find this to truly be one of the greats. With just the right amount of water added to bring into balance (for me) it is one of the finest and most complex pours on my shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Tot Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 We should be so lucky that this was not a dream! It is still a dream for most. I have never seen one on a shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I like most of the HH brands. The regular EC 12 I think is just ok. Sometimes it seems a little too woody to me. I wouldn't mind trying some of the private barrel selections. ECBP on the other hand, I think is really great. I found one on the shelf a while back. I looked a long time to find another. I passed on one that was double the regular price. :hot: I found another recently. I just happened to be in a store that just got items in and hadn't even unloaded the boxes. I feel like not opening it until I find another. It seems to me that most stores only get a couple bottles in at a time, and that's not very often. To my tastes, ECBP is one of the best bourbons in production. I declined signing up for the VW waiting lists. I don't even think about the BTAC anymore. The hunt for ECBP is on! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I LOVE ECBP! If I could find more of it, I'd bunker a couple cases, which would last a good long while, since it is so satisfying in slow tiny sips. In fact, that's the only way I truly enjoy it neat. It's tooooooo much to drink neat, except slowly, with a lot of time between those tiny sips. I get way more cocoa/chocolate in ECBP than any other Bourbon. That doesn't automatically make it a fave (though I am a known chocoholic); but it doesn't hurt it. It has a rich, thick mouthfeel, full body, and long warm finish. Not to mention the really FULL flavor and broad aroma. All this makes it among the best for my money to be had. The price/value ratio on ECBP is one of the best out there, in quite a long time. All this is just One Man's Opinion; (mine!) of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 A shared opinion apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
393foureyedfox Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I'm curious as to what the fox has to say about ECBP ;-)the Fox agrees with fishnbowljoe....its just not my cup 'o tea (or, bourbon). Ive only had batch two, though it left such a negative impression on me that Ive not bothered to even try to look for any of the subsuquent batches. Id try it again if I see it in a bar sometime, but Im not tracking one down again. That said, it is a mesmerizingly beautiful color! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 ECBP was the first label I truly "bunkered". It totally blew me away from my first pour from the bottle. I've always been a fan of barrel proofers, but this immediately made my mind drift to GTS rather than Bookers. Just a glorious, big, chewy bourbon. At first blush I wasn't sure if I didn't like this MORE than GTS - and when you factor in the price (I paid $39 for the first three bottles I bought), what more could I ask for! After blind tasting several batches, while they are all a bit different, I haven't found any to be less than awesome - and am pumped that it is being released with some regularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg73 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Have not had the pleasure of trying the EC barrel proof. Don't think I have seen it in these parts of CT. But, will look around and see if I can scrounge up a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greatgoo Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Doing a side by side tasting of stagg jr. vs ECBP. ECBP clear winner. Much more complex and richer flavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmzungu Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Just found my first bottle this weekend. Actually was offered a bottle when the store first got the shipment in early August and passed since I had just made another purchase. I kicked myself after and looked for several weeks to no avail and finally this weekend went to the first store I saw it at and found a lonely bottle hiding in the back of the bottom shelf. Sorry to whomever was hiding it there for later but I couldn't turn it down twice. Haven't opened it yet but moved it to the from of the next to open list! Definitely looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auracom Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Doing a side by side tasting of stagg jr. vs ECBP. ECBP clear winner. Much more complex and richer flavors.Totally agree. I've not had Stagg Jr. Batch 2, which I've heard was a noticeable improvement... but Batch 1 vs ECBP Batch 2 was complete domination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
393foureyedfox Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Stagg Jr. Batch 1 vs ECBP Batch 2 was complete domination.mental note....dont ever try stagg jr batch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 If I were given the opportunity to play Max Shapira of Heaven Hill for a day, and could make any decision I wanted (knowing that it would benefit me when I went back to sellin' plastic;)), I would have created and released this very bourbon. And seeing the brilliance of my creation:D, if HH were to invite me back for another round of Play Max for a Day, I'd next come up with "10yr Old Fitzgerald Barrel Proof"...Heaven Hill couldn't have given the enthusiast bourbon community a better release had they walked into the Gazebo on a Saturday night during KBF and asked the group to design their dream whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 If I could run HH for a day, we'd see Old Fitz BIB with an 8 year age statement, and barrel proof Old Fitz 12. To echo some of the other comparisons of ECBP vs. Stagg Jr. I have tried both. Since then, I have passed up Stagg Jr. at MSRP many times. Any ECBP at regular price was and will not be left behind. I think as far as barrel proofers go; Stagg Jr. and Knob SB are both ok, and worth trying. The ECBP just has a lot more going on as far as texture and flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 If I could run HH for a day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I like most of the HH brands. The regular EC 12 I think is just ok. Sometimes it seems a little too woody to me. I wouldn't mind trying some of the private barrel selections. ECBP on the other hand, I think is really great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
393foureyedfox Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I bet a 25/75 of ECBP and HH6BIB would make a nice drink..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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