Elijah Craig 21 Year Barrel #27 10/30/90

Elijah Craig 21 Year Single Barrel Barrel #27. Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky — Distilled October 30, 1990. A vintage single barrel from Heaven Hill's most age-forward Elijah Craig program, this specific barrel represents over three decades from its distillation date and 21 years of Kentucky aging — one of the oldest specific-date Elijah Craig single barrels in the Wooden Cork collection.

October 30, 1990 at Heaven Hill's Bardstown distillery — a specific autumn distillation day, the new make spirit filled into Barrel #27 and placed in the rick house as the year's final heat cycling gave way to winter contraction. An autumn-filled barrel enters its first winter within weeks of distillation, experiencing the contraction cycle before the following summer's expansion — a slightly different first-year aging profile than spring or summer-filled barrels. Over 21 years, that initial difference compounds through 84 seasonal cycles to produce the specific character Barrel #27 developed by the time it was pulled for bottling.

The 1990 distillation cohort in the Wooden Cork collection also includes the two 20-year barrels from March 19, 1991 (Barrel #27 and Barrel #16) — the collective representation of Elijah Craig production from that early 1990s era, preserved in individual barrels and available at a single retailer. The 21yr Barrel #27 (10/30/90) is the oldest distillation date in this collection and one of the oldest specific-date single barrels available anywhere.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Caramel, vanilla, and aged oak with the warm spice and dried fruit that 21 years of Heaven Hill rick house aging produces. The October 1990 distillation date creates a character shaped by three full decades of seasonal cycling — extraordinary depth and integration.
• Palate: Complex and lingering with deep oak integration, warm spice, leather, caramel, and dried fruit in layers. The 21-year age produces the sweet spot between maximum complexity and retained grain identity — Heaven Hill's high-rye mash bill still recognizable beneath the decades of oak development.
• Finish: Smooth and long with the characteristic fully-developed close of ultra-aged single barrel bourbon. Caramel, leather, and oak spice persist in a finish that rewards patience and attention.

Specs

• Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
• Barrel Number: #27
• Distilled: October 30, 1990
• Age: 21 years
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Vintage Single Barrel
• Mash Bill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• How does this differ from the 21 Year Single Barrel general release? The general 21 Year Single Barrel release does not carry a specific distillation date or barrel number — it is a named-age single barrel without vintage documentation. This bottle is Barrel #27, distilled October 30, 1990 — a specific barrel, a specific day, a specific and fully traceable provenance that the general release does not provide.
• What makes the October 1990 distillation date significant? It is the oldest specific distillation date in the Wooden Cork EC vintage barrel collection, predating the March 1991 barrels (#27 and #16) by over four months. At more than 30 years from distillation, this is among the oldest specifically documented Elijah Craig single barrels available at any retailer.
• How does 21 years compare to other age statements in the EC range? The 18 Year is the entry point to ultra-aged EC. The 21 Year sits between the 18 and 23 Year — more complex and oak-integrated than the 18, with more grain identity remaining than the 23 Year at its outer edge. Often considered the sweet spot in the range.