{"id":2150,"date":"2026-01-07T17:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/?p=2150"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T00:07:30","slug":"bca-elijah-craig-light-side-barrel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/07\/bca-elijah-craig-light-side-barrel\/","title":{"rendered":"Bourbon Club of Arkansas Announces Elijah Craig Barrel Proof \u201cLight Side\u201d Barrel Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PUBLISH DATE: January 7, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas has officially announced the arrival of its Elijah Craig Barrel Proof \u201cLight Side\u201d<\/strong> single barrel, marking another major release from one of the most recognized whiskey clubs in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a January 7 announcement from Jeff Franzetti, the barrel has landed at Five Star Liquor and represents the first of two related Elijah Craig Barrel Proof selections<\/strong> chosen by the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottle comes from Elijah Craig\u2019s Barrel Proof program<\/strong>, widely respected among bourbon enthusiasts for delivering whiskey straight from the barrel without chill filtration or dilution. These releases are known for their rich intensity, often showcasing bold caramel, oak, dark sugar, and spice notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular selection has been nicknamed \u201cLight Side,\u201d<\/strong> suggesting a counterpart barrel\u2014often referred to as a \u201csister barrel\u201d<\/strong>\u2014that will be released later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whiskey itself is produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, one of Kentucky\u2019s most historic distilleries. Founded in 1935, Heaven Hill is responsible for several iconic bourbon brands including Elijah Craig, Larceny, Evan Williams, and Old Fitzgerald. Their Barrel Proof Elijah Craig releases have built a reputation for delivering some of the most sought-after high-proof bourbon in the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Source: Jeff Franzetti – 02-09-2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Growing Legacy of Arkansas Barrel Picks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For the Bourbon Club of Arkansas, releases like this represent the culmination of years of work by members who travel to distilleries, taste through barrel samples, and select the whiskey that best represents the club\u2019s palate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group has built a reputation not just for picking quality barrels, but for doing so consistently. Over the past several years, BCA selections have earned national recognition<\/strong>, including awards at the ASCOT Awards, further cementing the club\u2019s influence in the bourbon community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the arrival of the \u201cLight Side\u201d Elijah Craig Barrel Proof<\/strong>, Arkansas bourbon enthusiasts once again get a glimpse of the kind of high-proof single barrel selections that have helped elevate the state\u2019s whiskey scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if the announcement holds true, this won\u2019t be the last of it\u2014a second sister barrel is expected to arrive in the coming months<\/strong>, giving members another opportunity to experience the pairing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Update: First Review of the \u201cLight Side\u201d Barrel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

UPDATE \u2013 February 9, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After several weeks of the bottle being open, Jeff Franzetti shared his detailed tasting notes on the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof \u201cLight Side\u201d<\/strong> barrel from the Bourbon Club of Arkansas. Franzetti was part of the original barrel selection team and offered insight after spending time with the bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cFortunate enough to be on the pick team for this one and I must say that Heaven Hill Distillery knows how to do a proper tasting. It doesn\u2019t hurt that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is one of my favorite accessible pours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottle fill is about 50% and it\u2019s been open for 5\u20136 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nose:<\/strong> Potent and pleasant. It hits the traditional notes of oak and smoky char with a faint sweet note of honeysuckle. Surprisingly there isn\u2019t much ethanol on the nose and no nose hairs were harmed in this review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palate:<\/strong> An experience to savor. Big cherry and sweet notes dominate the front of the palate and transition into more charred oak on the back. It\u2019s not a dry oak but more like smoldering damp oak that balances the sweetness. It\u2019s a rich and luxe pour, though a little thin in viscosity. I\u2019m fine with that, but I do wish it didn\u2019t roll off the tongue quite so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finish:<\/strong> Once it rolls off, the barrel proof bite shows up. That faint ethanol on the nose was apparently a ruse because this pour left skid marks on my esophagus. It\u2019s a nice Kentucky hug that lingers for three to four minutes after it goes down the hatch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A glass of this Elijah elixir will go a long way, and this is a damn good Elijah Craig \u2014 one of the best I\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t wait to blind this against its \u201cDark Side\u201d sister barrel. It\u2019s going to be tough to top the Light Side, but I did give a slight edge to the Dark Side barrel during the tasting, so we\u2019ll see if that holds up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Score: 8\/10<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The comparison between the \u201cLight Side\u201d and \u201cDark Side\u201d sister barrels<\/strong> has already become a point of discussion within the club, and many members are eager to see how the two stack up in blind tastings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PUBLISH DATE: January 7, 2026 The Bourbon Club of Arkansas has officially announced the arrival of its Elijah Craig Barrel Proof \u201cLight Side\u201d single barrel, marking another major release from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-2150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-five-star","tag-bca"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBourbon Club of Arkansas Announces Elijah Craig Barrel Proof \u201cLight Side\u201d Barrel Pick - 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