Elijah Craig 20 Year Barrel #16 3/19/91

Elijah Craig 20 Year Single Barrel Barrel #16. Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky — Distilled March 19, 1991. A specific barrel from Elijah Craig's vintage single barrel program at Heaven Hill, sharing its exact distillation date with Barrel #27 also in the Wooden Cork collection — the companion barrel to #27 from the same production day, representing a direct comparison of how rick house position shapes bourbon character over two decades.

Barrel #16 and Barrel #27 were filled on the same day — March 19, 1991 — at Heaven Hill's Bardstown distillery. The same mash bill, the same still run, the same new make spirit. What differed from the moment they were placed in the rick house was everything else: barrel position, floor level, proximity to the rick house walls, airflow patterns, and the accumulated microclimate differences that those variables produce over 80 Kentucky seasons. Twenty years later, Barrel #16 and Barrel #27 had become distinct expressions — the same origin, two different bourbon stories.

Having both barrels from the same distillation date in the same retail collection is an extraordinary circumstance. Most collectors never get the opportunity to compare two barrels from the same production day side by side. Wooden Cork's collection presents that comparison in a single purchase decision: Barrel #16 and Barrel #27, both 3/19/91, both 20 years, both available. 1 bottle of each remaining.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Twenty years of Heaven Hill rick house aging concentrated into a layered, complex aromatic profile. Deep caramel, leather, dried fruit, and integrated rye spice from the high-rye mash bill at full ultra-aged maturity.
• Palate: Rich and multi-layered with caramel, cinnamon, deep oak tannin, chocolate, and dried fruit. The 20-year aging creates an integration of grain and wood character that shorter-aged expressions cannot achieve. Barrel #16's specific rick house trajectory produces the distinct profile that differentiates it from its companion Barrel #27.
• Finish: Long and bold with dark caramel, leather, and oak persisting through a deeply satisfying close that rewards slow sipping.

Specs

• Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky
• Barrel Number: #16
• Distilled: March 19, 1991
• Age: 20 years
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Vintage Single Barrel
• Mash Bill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• How does Barrel #16 compare to Barrel #27? Same distillation date (3/19/91), same age (20 years), same Heaven Hill program — different barrel numbers, different rick house positions, different aging trajectories. The proof difference between the two barrels reflects the different evaporative conditions they experienced. A direct comparison of how barrel position shapes individual expression over two decades.
• Why does having both barrels from the same date matter? It is extremely rare for a single retailer to acquire multiple barrels from the same distillation date. Most private barrel programs place one barrel per retailer. The presence of both Barrel #16 and Barrel #27 (3/19/91) in the Wooden Cork collection creates a comparison opportunity that is essentially unique — the same bourbon origin, two different stories told by two different barrels.
• Is this bottle still available? 1 bottle in stock. Barrel #16 from March 19, 1991 is a finite object. When this bottle sells it cannot be replaced.