Elijah Craig Barrel Proof WC 2023 Barrel Select 118.2 Proof

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Wooden Cork 2023 Barrel Select 118.2 Proof. Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky — a single barrel of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof hand-selected by Wooden Cork on October 19, 2023, from Rickhouse KK at Heaven Hill, barreled on December 15, 2014 and aged nearly 9 years before selection, bottled at 118.2 proof without water reduction or chill filtration — the most provenance-documented barrel in the Wooden Cork EC private barrel series.

The 2023 Barrel Select is the most specifically documented barrel in Wooden Cork's Elijah Craig program: Barreled On December 15, 2014. Selected On October 19, 2023. Rickhouse KK. These details matter in ways that standard commercial releases cannot offer. Rickhouse KK is a specific warehouse location at Heaven Hill's Bardstown facility — every rick house has its own heat cycling profile based on its construction, orientation, and position on the distillery grounds. Barrels in Rickhouse KK aged through the specific conditions that building produces, and our team selected this barrel from that specific environment because of what those conditions created in the spirit over nearly nine years.

At 118.2 proof, this is the lowest-proof barrel in the Wooden Cork EC selection series — a reflection of the specific evaporative conditions this cask experienced in Rickhouse KK over 8+ years rather than any reduction in quality or intensity. Lower proof after long aging in some cases indicates a barrel that lost more alcohol than water to evaporation — a condition that can actually concentrate flavor compounds relative to alcohol, creating a different but equally compelling flavor profile. Currently 19 bottles in stock.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: The nearly 9-year aging in Rickhouse KK delivers deep caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak with integrated dried fruit and baking spice. The 118.2 proof is more accessible on the nose than higher-proof selections, allowing the aromatic complexity to emerge without the alcohol assertiveness of the 125+ proof barrels.
• Palate: Full-bodied and rich with the deep caramel, vanilla, and oak complexity that 8+ years of Heaven Hill aging produces. The 118.2 proof creates a more immediate accessibility than the higher-proof selections while delivering the same single-barrel character and depth.
• Finish: Long and warming with caramel, oak, and spice persisting cleanly. The nearly 9-year Rickhouse KK aging sustains the finish with the oak depth that shorter-aged or lower-proof expressions cannot match.

Specs

• Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
• Selection: Wooden Cork 2023 Barrel Select
• Rickhouse: KK
• Barreled On: December 15, 2014
• Selected On: October 19, 2023
• Age: ~8 years, 10 months
• Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
• ABV: 59.1% (118.2 Proof)
• Filtration: Non-chill filtered; no water reduction
• Size: 750ml
• Availability: Exclusively at Wooden Cork — 19 bottles in stock

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is this barrel's proof lower than the other Wooden Cork selections? Proof after aging depends on evaporation conditions in the specific rick house and barrel position. Rickhouse KK's specific environment caused this barrel to lose proportionally more alcohol than water over its nearly 9-year aging — resulting in 118.2 proof rather than the 124–129 proof range of other WC selections. This is the barrel's natural concentration from its specific aging environment, not a dilution.
• What does the barreled/selected date tell me? Barreled December 15, 2014 means this specific cask was filled and placed in the warehouse on that date. Selected October 19, 2023 means Wooden Cork's team visited Heaven Hill that day, evaluated this barrel among other candidates, and chose it for our program. The exact dates are on the record — something standard commercial releases never provide.
• What is Rickhouse KK? A specific warehouse at Heaven Hill's Bardstown distillery. Every rick house at Heaven Hill has its own aging environment based on construction, orientation, and position on the grounds. Wooden Cork selected this barrel from Rickhouse KK specifically — the conditions of that building shaped the spirit over nearly nine years of seasonal temperature cycling.