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Elijah Craig Small Batch vs Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Elijah Craig Small Batch and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus an uncut, wheat-forward heavyweight.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Elijah Craig Small Batch | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof |
| Mash Bill | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) | 110 proof (55% ABV) +16 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$28 – $35 ~$14 less | ~$40 – $50 |
- 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.
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Elijah Craig Small Batch Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 6/9 sweetness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 6 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10
heat 4/7 heat: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10
spice 5/3 spice: Elijah Craig Small Batch 5 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10
oak 7/5 oak: Elijah Craig Small Batch 7 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
nuttiness 4/3 nuttiness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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.
- Maker’s Mark Cask Strength: Undiluted Maker's, and the version that finally gives the wheated recipe some weight. Dense caramel and honey with real warmth, and one of the more affordable cask-strength bottles anywhere.
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.
- Go with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Elijah Craig Small Batch); neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength).