Elijah Craig Is Getting Into the Cologne Business

In the year 2025, it isn’t exactly shocking to see a grooming product that evokes the smell of whiskey. If you’re shopping for, say, beard oil with notes of bourbon in the scent, you have plenty of options to choose from. What many of those options have in common, though, is that they tend to come from companies with one foot already in the personal grooming world.

That’s left one distillery wondering why those companies should have all the fun — and taking steps to establish their own foothold in that world. Which is what’s led to this week’s announcement that Elijah Craig is branching out into cologne. Specifically, with Elijah Craig Char No. 3 Cologne — a scent that’s now available to order directly through the distillery. According to the announcement, the cologne features “hints of juniper berry, lavandin, and orange blossom.”

Max Stefka, Heaven Hill’s Associate Vice President of Global Whiskey Brands, described the cologne as “[capturing] the spirit of our legacy through a rich, layered scent experience that feels unmistakably Elijah Craig.”

Elijah Craig worked with several other companies to develop Char No. 3, including Crafting Beauty, which handled the actual manufacturing of the scent, and Symrise, which researched the charred oak scent at the heart of this fragrance.

Elijah Craig’s Latest Release Is a Barrel Proof Rye

Good news for cocktail fans

While Elijah Craig’s step into the fragrance world takes an especially bold form, it isn’t the only distillery that’s explored the appeal of, well, smelling like whiskey. (But in an atmospheric way, not a “wow, this guy’s on a bender” way.) Duke Cannon has worked with Buffalo Trace on a few products over the years, including a cologne balm. While these products are not intended to be imbibed, they may well prompt you to order a tasting flight the next time you’re at a bar.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…