Elijah Craig 12 Year Old

Nice review and one of my favourite bourbons. I have one in the stash as well and will go and check the fill level post haste!

@masterj, thank you for a very nice review for a very nice bourbon! Some batches of EC 12 YO are spectacular and it appears that your reviewed bottle is from one of those spectacular batches.

I too had concerns about the fill level on a recently opened Elijah Craig 12 YO bottle. Down into the basement I went to fetch all of the EC bottles which I had recently bunkered. Upon examining the fill levels of eight bottles, I determined they were not losing liquid. The fill level on all of these bottles did not reach into the neck cavity. For me, this had created an impression of low fill. The bottles in my possession have been filled six years or less.

I have provided a pic of four bottles, two ECBP 12 YO and two of the formerly standard core offering EC 12 YO...I hope this helps. The levels on all four are similar. The last two bottles I have opened both have good fitting corks that continue to produce a "pop" when puled from the bottle...I have learned not to twist a cork when pulling the stopper from the bottle (not nearly as much fun)...a substandard cork or stopper will fail more easily when twisted...that's another topic worthy of discussion.

@paddockjudge All your bottles look fine. EC12 normal fill level is at the lower taper in the neck like the bottle that's the 2nd from the left in your pic. Usually the first sign your losing some content is a small void develops right at that point. See image below.

I find the volume stays relatively constant until first opening...then I fear a lot of evaporation will occur...

@masterj, I see the void where the fill level recedes from the face, almost like an air bubble on the flat side.

This is indeed a great bourbon. I was lucky to buy two of the EC 12 y. I gave 1as a present to a good friend. He is a fan of bourbon now. He did not like it before. Told him it is not for sale anymore in the Netherlands. It's a great pity .

@paddockjudge Yep that's it. Pains me to see it as I've found two other bottles of mine that have that including a BP version. I guess I'll be reviewing that sometime soon.

@masterj, I'm hopeful your declining fill levels won't compromise the quality of the bourbon. I'm actually crying and blowing my nose.....because I knocked onto the floor a freshly ground container of black pepper, only about four ounces. I'll be drinking Talisker tonight, for sure!

@paddockjudge You're supposed to grind the pepper, not the container. No wonder you're crying!