Following the defeat of the British at the Battle of Yorktown during the American Revolutionary War, the territory west of the Appalachian mountains became known as Kentucky County. At the time, the territory was considered part of Virginia and was overseen by a military governor named John J. Bowman. In order to encourage westward expansion, Virginia issued pioneers who agreed to settle in Kentucky County “corn writs,” which granted the pioneers 60 acres of land if they agreed to settle in Kentucky and start farming corn.One year after the defeat of the British, a Baptist minister named Elijah Craig emigrated to Fayette County (today, a part of the State of Kentucky) and purchased 1,000 acres of land in a town named Lebanon. In 1789, Craig built a distillery on his farm and is credited with being the first person to mature bourbon in charred, oak casks, earning him the title “Father of Bourbon Whiskey.”

Elijah Craig Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey pays homage to Craig and his unique legacy. The bourbon is bottled from the marriage of fewer than 100 casks of maturing bourbon, each of which is rested in a Kentucky rickhouse for a minimum of a dozen years. The bourbon has an aroma of honey, sweet corn, vanilla, and brown sugar. The aroma gives way to notes of roasted nuts, creamy vanilla, molasses, and tropical fruits on the palate, that are well-balanced by hints of dry oak and cinnamon. The finish is long and sweet and ends with a warming touch.

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon earned a score of 95 points from Wine Enthusiast, which called the bourbon “mellow” and said that it had the flavor profile of “butterscotch candy.” In addition, Jim Murray, author of the Whisky Bible, named the bourbon the “Best Bourbon Aged 10-12 Years,” and stated that it is “one of my favorite five or six bourbons” in the world. Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon also earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the WSWA Tasting Competition.

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