Elijah Craig bourbon in Westford, MA

Elijah Craig is a Kentucky bourbon made by Heaven Hill, and CBC Liquors on Littleton Rd in Westford carries several bottles of it, from Small Batch to a Massachusetts private barrel and a barrel proof release. If you are choosing between them, the sections below explain what each one is and who it suits.

Which Elijah Craig bottles does CBC Liquors carry?

The full Elijah Craig range at CBC Liquors is on its brand page, with the store's own best sellers shown first and only what is in stock today. Right now that includes Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon, the bottle most people mean when they search for Elijah Craig bourbon.

Beyond that, you can find Elijah Craig 8 Year Massachusetts Private Barrel, Elijah Craig BARREL PROOF BATCH A125, Elijah Craig Straight Rye and Elijah Craig Toasted Rye. There is also Elijah Craig Espresso Cocktail Syrup, which is a cocktail ingredient rather than a bottle of whiskey.

Stock changes, so the brand page is the quickest way to see what is on the shelf before you drive over.

What is Elijah Craig bourbon?

Elijah Craig is a Kentucky straight bourbon brand from Heaven Hill, a distillery based in Bardstown. Bourbon is an American whiskey made from a grain mix of at least 51 percent corn, aged in new charred oak barrels. Nothing is added after distilling except water to bring it down to bottling strength.

The brand is named after Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister in colonial Kentucky whom folklore credits with early bourbon-making. Historians dispute that story, so treat it as a piece of brand lore rather than settled history.

In the glass, Elijah Craig is generally described as a rich, oak-forward bourbon with vanilla, caramel and baking spice. If you like a bourbon that holds up neat, over a large ice cube or in an old fashioned, this is the style it sits in.

What is the difference between small batch and a private barrel?

A small batch bourbon is made by combining barrels, in this case a selection from a limited number, so that each bottling tastes consistent. That consistency is the point: the bottle you buy next month should taste like the one you bought last month.

A private barrel works the other way. A single barrel, or a handful, is chosen by a store, a group or a state's buyers and bottled on its own. The 8 Year Massachusetts Private Barrel says in its name that it is an 8-year-old bourbon picked as a Massachusetts private barrel selection. Because it comes from a chosen barrel, it can taste a little different from the standard bottle.

If you want a dependable everyday bourbon, start with the Small Batch. If you want to compare a selected barrel against it side by side, the private barrel is the one to pick up alongside it.

What does the batch code A125 mean on barrel proof?

Barrel proof, sometimes called cask strength, means the bourbon is bottled at the strength it came out of the barrel, without being diluted down. It usually drinks bigger and hotter than a standard bottling, and many people add a few drops of water or a large ice cube to open it up.

The name of Elijah Craig BARREL PROOF BATCH A125 includes a batch code. The letter marks the release of the year, and the digits give the month and year. So A125 reads as the first release of the year, January 2025.

That is worth knowing because barrel proof bottlings are released in batches, and each batch can taste slightly different from the last. If you find a batch you like, the code on the label is how you recognise it again.

The strength of each batch is printed on its own label, so check the bottle in your hand when you buy.

Does Elijah Craig make a rye?

Yes. Rye whiskey is made from a grain mix of at least 51 percent rye, and it generally tastes spicier and drier than bourbon, with pepper and herbal notes where bourbon leans sweet.

Elijah Craig Straight Rye is the plain, straightforward version, and a good place to start if you are curious about the style. Elijah Craig Toasted Rye points to toasted wood in its name, which in whiskey making refers to an extra step of heating the barrel wood before it is used.

If you want to compare more whiskeys of this type, the rye category page shows what CBC Liquors has in stock, and the broader whiskey page covers Scotch and Irish whiskey as well.

How should you drink Elijah Craig?

Neat, with a splash of water, or over a single large ice cube are the simplest ways, and they let you taste what separates one bottle from another. If you are comparing the Small Batch and the private barrel, pour them side by side in the same kind of glass.

For cocktails, a bourbon of this style works in an old fashioned, a Manhattan with a rye, or a whiskey sour. The Elijah Craig Espresso Cocktail Syrup is made for coffee-flavored drinks, so it suits a bourbon espresso martini or a whiskey coffee.

For bitters, soda and other cocktail ingredients, see the mixers category page. If you are choosing between bottles of bourbon in general, the bourbon category shows the rest of the shelf.

Please drink responsibly, and only if you are 21 or older.

How do you get Elijah Craig from CBC Liquors in Westford?

You can walk in at 142 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA 01886. The store is open Sunday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Pickup runs on the same hours.

CBC Liquors also offers delivery and shipping. Delivery hours are Sunday 10:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM. The liquor delivery areas page shows which towns are covered, with pages for Chelmsford, Acton, Littleton and Lowell among others.

For shipping details, the shipping policy page covers how it works. The store carries more than 1,886 brands, so if you are picking up an Elijah Craig bottle you can look at the rest of the shelves while you are there.