Elijah Craig Rye Shelf Review

Shelf Review

Designed to give you all the quick hit information you need when you’re standing in front of your local liquor store’s whisky shelf.

Elijah Craig might be one of the best-known budget bourbons in the world, but its rye counterpart is a much more recent addition to the lineup. Introduced in 2020, Elijah Craig rye is a barely legal rye with a mashbill featuring only 51% rye (the legal limit), which means this is aimed squarely at the bourbon crowd looking to branch out into the rye world. And with an MSRP of around $30, a solid 94 proof, and widespread availability, is this the budget rye to have on your bar cart??  

Age: Non-Age Stated

ABV: 47%

Cask: New oak casks

MSRP: $30

Distillery Name: Heaven Hill

Review Date: 7/2/23

Nose: Soft rye spice mixed with sweet corn, herbal tea, cracked walnut, and clove. Just a touch of the herbal rye quality pokes through before being mostly drowned out by candy corn sweetness.

Palate: Gentle, easy sipping without a strong standout personality. Green apple, youthful grain, and more corn sweetness. It’s zesty and refreshing with well-maintained heat and good balance.

Finish: Disappears quickly and leaves just a slight peppercorn and pine note. There’s one last flash of rye spice before it slips away completely.

Score: 84

Would I buy again? Elijah Craig rye is a forgettable pour that’s outshined by its bigger brethren Rittenhouse and Pikesville. I won’t be replacing the bottle but was happy to have picked it up in a pinch for under $30. The nose is likely the best part of the experience, while the finish disappears quickly and without much fanfare. This leaves Elijah Craig rye as an approachable but entirely forgettable experience. And while nothing is objectively wrong here, it does feel like a marketing exercise where they wanted to capitalize on the strong Elijah Craig brand name. Next time I will be picking up a bottle of Rittenhouse instead.