This Affordable New Whiskey Gets In on the Hottest Bourbon Trend

The words “toasted rye” take on new meaning with Elijah Craig’s latest bottle.

elijah craig whiskey bottle and glass in a green stone room

Published July 17, 2024

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Whiskey trends come and whiskey trends go. But one trend that’s been arguably the hottest in the industry for the past several years — and which shows no signs of slowing down — is the use of toasted barrels.

While bourbon whiskeys are required to mature in new oak barrels that have been charred, meaning they’ve been subjected to intense flame for a very short period of time (usually less than a minute), an ever-increasing number are also finished in toasted oak barrels.

Toasted barrels are heated for far longer and at much lower temperatures than traditional charred barrels, which allows for different flavors to come through in the final product.

Whiskey drinkers can’t seem to get enough of the treatment, which is probably why Elijah Craig has just released another of its whiskeys with a toasted-barrel finish.

Elijah Craig Toasted Rye

$55 at Elijah Craig

Toasted Rye

While “toasted rye” might sound like part of a sandwich order at a deli, it’s also the name of Elijah Craig’s latest whiskey release.

The dependable and affordable whiskey brand was one of the first big names to jump on the toasted whiskey bandwagon back in 2020 when it released a toasted version of its uber-popular 94-proof Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon. Now, it’s giving the same toasty treatment to its Straight Rye Whiskey.

elijah craig bourbon bottle and glass in a rickhouse — Released in 2020, Elijah Craig’s Toasted Barrel Small Batch Bourbon has proven to be a hit.

Elijah Craig Toasted Rye starts off like the brand’s Straight Rye. It uses the same mashbill of 51 percent rye, 35 percent corn and 14 percent malted barley, and it’s fully matured in charred oak barrels.

But once it’s ready to go, instead of being bottled as it normally would, the rye enters a second toasted barrel at cask strength. These exclusive toasted barrels were designed exclusively for Elijah Craig in partnership with Independent Stave Company, and they give a unique finish to the whiskey.

Following this extra step, the whiskey is then cut to 94 proof — the same as EC’s Straight Rye and Toasted Small Batch Bourbon — and bottled.

bourbon barrel toasting — Elijah Craig utilizes a custom barrel-toasting process.

According to Elijah Craig, the toasty treatment adds a smoke element to the whiskey that proves to be the perfect complement to the spiciness and sweetness derived from the rye and corn in the mashbill.

The finished product is said to be full of dessert-like flavors, with toasted oak, crème brûlée, almond and hazelnut on the nose; milk chocolate and baking spices on the palate; and a soft and creamy finish that doubles down on the spice.

Just as we saw with Elijah Craig’s Small Batch Bourbon, the toasted version of the brand’s Straight Rye is priced around $25 higher than the standard un-toasted. Given the extra steps involved in their production and the custom barrels used, this is pretty reasonable, and Elijah Craig Toasted Rye is still a fairly affordable whiskey overall with an SRP of $54.99.