Elijah Craig Beer Barrel Finish 200ml

Elijah Craig Beer Barrel Finish 200ml. Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky — a collaboration between Heaven Hill and Goose Island Brewery that follows three barrels through an extraordinary three-stage journey: original Bourbon aging, then Goose Island Bourbon County Stout aging, then nine months of re-filling with fully matured Elijah Craig Small Batch — the beer's influence creating a genuinely distinctive Bourbon with rich chocolate, subtle oak, and a hint of vanilla unlike anything else in the Elijah Craig lineup.

The production story is what makes the Beer Barrel Finish genuinely unusual rather than merely novel. Stage one: standard new charred American oak barrels age Heaven Hill bourbon in the normal fashion. Stage two: those same barrels travel to Goose Island's Chicago brewery, where they are filled with Bourbon County Stout — one of the most decorated imperial stouts in American craft beer, a beer that itself absorbs bourbon barrel character during its aging. The barrels now carry the imprint of both bourbon and a rich, chocolate-and-roasted-malt imperial stout. Stage three: the barrels return to Kentucky, where fully matured Elijah Craig Small Batch (8–12 years) is re-filled into them for nine months. Over those nine months, the Small Batch absorbs the residual compounds the Bourbon County Stout left behind in the wood — chocolate, roasted grain, and the interplay of stout and oak — creating the distinctive flavor that neither a standard bourbon finish nor a beer finish alone could produce.

The 200ml format makes this an ideal introduction to the Beer Barrel Finish concept — or a collector's bottle for those who want to document the collaboration without committing to a full-size pour of a genuinely unusual expression.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Rich chocolate and roasted malt from the Bourbon County Stout's residual compounds, layered over the Elijah Craig Small Batch caramel and vanilla foundation. Distinctive and immediately recognizable as unlike standard finished bourbon.
• Palate: The chocolate note is pronounced and genuine — not a sweetener addition but the actual residual character of one of America's most celebrated imperial stouts absorbed through nine months of barrel contact. Oak and vanilla from the original bourbon aging provide structure. The combination creates a profile that exists nowhere else in the Elijah Craig range.
• Finish: Rich and moderately long with chocolate, oak, and a hint of vanilla carrying through the close. The beer barrel contribution creates a finish that is more dessert-adjacent than any straight bourbon finish can achieve.

Specs

• Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
• Collaboration: Goose Island Brewery, Chicago (Bourbon County Stout)
• Base: Elijah Craig Small Batch, fully matured (8–12 years)
• Finishing: 9 months in Goose Island Bourbon County Stout-seasoned barrels
• ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
• Size: 200ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Elijah Craig Beer Barrel Finish taste like? Rich chocolate and roasted malt on the nose over caramel and vanilla. Pronounced chocolate on the palate from the Bourbon County Stout's residual compounds, with oak and vanilla providing structure. Rich, dessert-adjacent finish with chocolate, oak, and vanilla.
• What is Goose Island Bourbon County Stout? One of the most celebrated imperial stouts in American craft beer — Goose Island's annual release that ages in bourbon barrels and develops an extraordinarily rich chocolate, vanilla, and roasted character. The barrels that held Bourbon County Stout are then used to finish Elijah Craig Small Batch, transferring those stout compounds into the bourbon.
• Why is the three-stage barrel journey significant? Standard beer-finished bourbon puts spirit into a barrel that once held beer. The Beer Barrel Finish reverses the normal flow: Bourbon barrels become Bourbon County Stout barrels become Bourbon barrels again. The barrels accumulate the character of both spirits — each stage leaving compounds in the wood that the next fill absorbs. The result is a flavor interaction that a single finishing pass cannot achieve.
• Why 200ml? The Beer Barrel Finish is released in limited quantities — the 200ml format allows more collectors and enthusiasts to experience the collaboration without the full commitment of a standard bottle, and makes it an accessible gift or tasting bottle for those who want to explore the concept.