Distillery: Jim Beam
Proof: 127.9
Age: 6 years, 5 months
Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barely
Price: $90
Company
Since 1795, seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in making whiskey. Along with the iconic Jim Beam line, the distillery is also responsible for brands like Knob Creek, Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s, and Bookers.
Production
According the their site, the batch was made from barrels from three different production dates in six different rackhouse locations. This batch celebrates a family tradition where younger generations “tagged along” to learn the ropes.
Nose – 93/100
Deep caramel and vanilla with touches of honey and floral notes. It doesn’t smell as strong as the proof would suggest.
Palate – 91/100
Starts smooth with notes of caramel and vanilla, then the spice quickly kicks in. This makes for a complex and robust flavor profile with notes of rye spice, backing spices, and oak.
Finish – 89/100
The finish is long and oak forward with notes of cereal grains. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dryness, but it was certainly complex enough to be interesting.
Value – 88/100
This is a really interesting pour at a high proof. I personally don’t think I’d buy it again at $90-$100 because it’s not a daily pour (it’s pretty hot so it’s for sure a sipper), but it’s definitely good enough to try at least once.
Verdict – 90.25/100
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 95+
- Gold – 90 – 94
- Silver – 80 – 89
- Bronze – <80
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.