Butterscotch | Peanut brittle | Seared mint | Seared orange rind | Charred oak | Light smoke

Burnt caramel | Spiced apple | Burnt brown sugar | Seared orange rind | Fig | Touch of blackberry

Toasted cinnamon | Toasted oak | Citrus | Rye spice | Black pepper | Light dry bitter oak

Heaven Hill might be giving Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon and Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon a rest so far in 2026, but Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye has seen no such reprieve. Being the newest of the company’s barrel proof products with only three batches released (including this batch), there is still a lot of fresh ground to cover. After a respectable but somewhat disappointing Batch A925, Batch A126 came roaring back with one of the best rye releases of 2026. Can Batch B526 follow suit?

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch B526 tastes and smells like autumn in a glass. Warm butterscotch and peanut brittle scents form a rich, dessert-like foundation, contrasted by seared mint, seared orange rind, and charred oak that add a lively, slightly smoky brightness to the aroma. The palate truly captures the autumn season thanks to burnt caramel, spiced apple, burnt brown sugar, fig, and light blackberry. The finish drops the smoky charred notes in favor of lighter toasted notes of cinnamon and oak, before hitting hard with rye spice and black pepper. There is a lingering mild dry-bitter oak note that causes the other flavors to drop off quickly.

Though Batch B526 doesn’t reach the same heights as Batch A126, it does get a lot right. It leans hard on caramel and butterscotch for a sturdy base and accents it with layers of seared, slightly smoky notes, spiced apple, a touch of citrus, and a rye-spice/black-pepper pop. This results in a dynamic and complex pour. Its age statement is also impressive, but it also doesn’t work in the same way as it did in the older Batch A126. It’s absolutely adding weight to the sip’s flavors, helping them from becoming overly bright, but it isn’t the star here. It’s more about how the rye’s flavor pillars stand on their own, and how they transition from one to the other. This does result in the sip being a bit too dry and slightly bitter at the end, and a rye spice/black pepper pop being overly forceful, but for a barrel proof, high aged rye, some of that comes with the territory.