Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon Showdown 2021: Old Elk Single Barrel vs Larceny B521

Larceny vs Old Elk

Last year the standoff was between one of the best names in the history of spirits - Journeyman’s Corsets, Whips + Whiskey vs Larceny Barrel Proof. It was a split decision as Chalonda used all the Larceny in cocktails but decided that Journeyman’s cask strength version of Buggy Whip (the aforementioned CW&W) was a better offering. 

Wheated Bourbons exist in abundance on our shelves. The decanter house pour is Pour Man’s Pappy. We own every version of Weller except Single Barrel (including Larue). Additionally, one of our all time favorite pours is a wheater bourbon that helped launch this channel - Black Bourbon Society’s Maker Mark Select. A bourbon that didn’t use the most popular stave in the Maker 46 program (mocha) yet created a surreal layered experience. 

Fort Collins, Colorado

So enter the 2021 new comer.  Old Elk Cask Strength. Dave Metz spent nearly 40yrs holding every position you can imaging at MGP. It was his interview with Mash & Drum that peaked our curiosity in Old Elk. The Colorado crew’s origin story is actually related to Otterbox. Founder Curt Richardson launched the waterproof phone case giant 25 years ago. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to start Old Elk in 2013. In order to not fuck things up, he went out and hired the best of the best as Master Distiller.

MGP began as a Seagrams plant on the banks of the Ohio River on the Indiana side. Old Elk sourced bourbons from Lawrenceburg, IN, who produced  itto the specs outlined by Old Elk. First think you notice is a malt milkshake quality to their interpretation. It’s a balance and dessert forward in the best way with flavors that feel like an An éclair topped with chocolate frosting. This really is  one of the best examples of a cask strength of any kind that we’ve encountered this year. 

Binny’s Select Cask Strength Single Barrel

Heaven Hill’s Larceny comes out swinging with a new distinct neck-tag emblazoned with the phrase Whisky Advocate’s 2020 Whisky of the Year. There was a minerality at play on the last batch we had so we opted to sit out of A21 this year but grabbed B25 as a make or break decision about the brand in general . Goose Island aged a Cinnamon Apple Barleywine in Larceny barrels last year and that’s the last we heard as barleywine was excluded from the 2021 lineup . We never really check for the small batch Larceny. Elijah Craig is superior in every way, besides we’re still recovering for paying secondary at a retail shop for Old Fitz 11yr in the fancy decanter.

As much as we love HH, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof pound-for-pound might be the best whisky in the country. Parkers Heritage 10 is as good as Limited Release we have on the bar having said those things, we’ve been out on Larceny as a brand. B25 this year is something you should enjoy as bar pour for the experience. In our view its not a bottle you need to add to your collections.

—The Neat Pour

For a full rundown be sure to check out Episode 50 of The Neat Pour Podcast- Battle of the Wheats