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Elijah Craig Small Batch vs Four Roses Bourbon
Elijah Craig Small Batch and Four Roses Bourbon sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Elijah Craig Small Batch | Four Roses Bourbon |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) +14 proof | 80 proof (40% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$28 – $35 | ~$22 – $28 ~$7 less |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Four Roses Bourbon
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Elijah Craig Small Batch Four Roses Bourbon
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 7/3 oak: Elijah Craig Small Batch 7 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 3 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 6 out of 10
heat 4/2 heat: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 2 out of 10
nuttiness 4/3 nuttiness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 3 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 6 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 6 out of 10
spice 5/5 spice: Elijah Craig Small Batch 5 out of 10, Four Roses Bourbon 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- Elijah Craig Small Batch: A heavily oak-driven pour for the money, with vanilla bean and brown sugar riding on top of real char and smoke. The extra age shows up as wood depth rather than harshness.
- Four Roses Bourbon: The yellow label entry point, blending all ten Four Roses recipes at a gentle 80 proof. Light and fruity to a fault, but the house floral character is already recognisable and it mixes beautifully.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Elijah Craig Small Batch if you want the best oak-forward value on the shelf, with more wood character than its price suggests with more proof behind it.
- Go with Four Roses Bourbon if you want the Four Roses fruit-and-floral signature at its lightest and cheapest.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Elijah Craig Small Batch); cocktails, highball, rocks (Four Roses Bourbon).