Maker: Jim Beam, Clermont/Boston, Kentucky, USA (Beam Suntory)
Style: Single barrel, standard recipe rye Bourbon.
Serial number: 000228504
Warehouse: CL-J, Floor 4, rack 43
Age: 7 y/o (and 4 mos.)
Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)
Michigan State Minimum: $60
Appearance: Medium dark copper.
Nose: Caramel, roasted corn, cut oak, cayenne.
Palate: Full bodied. Chocolate caramel brownies.
Finish: Hot, with some caramel and a touch of oak.
Parting words: This is the second time I’ve reviewed Baker’s, but the first time was back in 2014 when it wasn’t a single barrel and it had an irritating wax top.
Back then it was spicy but with an odd smell of rotten vegetables in the nose when water was added. I should have read that review a few weeks ago because in it I recommended that it be consumed neat, or with very little water. I didn’t do that with this bottle, and I was very disappointed with it.
All ready to give a scathing review, I poured some into my favorite Glencairn glass and started taking down notes tonight. When I was done, I looked back over them and thought, “These are the tasting notes of a very good bourbon.” Once again, I played myself.
Baker’s Single Barrel is recommended.
Before we go our separate ways, dear reader, I want to take a moment to applaud Beam for the Single Barrel Journey feature on the Baker’s website. It’s very cool. All you do is enter the serial number for your bottle of Baker’s and the website gives you all sorts of information on the barrel including location in the warehouse and even the high and low temperatures for the barrel’s time in that warehouse. Really neato stuff. Feel free to use the serial number above to try it out!
Sipology 