Company: Jim Beam
Vol: 53.5%
Age: 7 years
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Breakdown: 77% corn, 13% rye, 10% malted barley
Price: c. £50

Preamble

It is 2 years exactly since the Gents first published our Baker’s review. We like to revisit these reviews and see what’s changed over time. Somethings never seem to change; the Gents are still not delivering on promises made when we read back on our previous postings. In this review we said that we would soon be releasing a tasting glass review where we would delve into the variances found when tasting whiskey from different glassware. We are fortunate that this is not a real job as our yearly objectives and end of year performance reviews would be a disaster. Tasting glass review… that sounds like a great idea, let’s add it on to our 2020 to do list.

Anyhow back to the real subject matter, Baker’s bourbon. This has now truly gone through an extraordinary transformation. Often viewed as the least attractive member of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, it has always struggled to push out in front of the gang and become a first choice for bourbon drinkers. It has always reminded us of the last child to get picked at football practice (this sits deeply in the physic of Mr Pie and will never be forgotten).

Late in 2019 Baker’s Single Barrel bourbon was launched, not in addition to the small batch bourbon but rather instead of. No longer will it be a blend of 200 plus barrels, it will now be a single barrel and all the nuances which this very popular sector delivers. The defining characteristics of each barrel, which of course are subject to change due to warehouse barrel placement, are described as follows by Jim Beam –

Nose – Fruit, vanilla and caramel

Palate – Medium bodied with flavours of oak, toasted nuts and vanilla

Finish – Robust, medium long and warmly rounded

The age statement remains the same at 7 years (early offerings were 8 years plus) plus no changes to the proof at 107. The bottle though has had a makeover and has moved away from the wine bottle shape to a chunky shorter bottle with a barrel ring topper. The warehouse and serial number are visible on the neck of the bottle. There is though with little surprise a 20% price increase to boot.

If all this wasn’t enough for you to digest, at the same time a limited edition 13 year old Baker’s single barrel was launched with its very own gift box. These Baker’s single barrels are like buses! No doubt both single barrels won’t be particularly easy to find in the UK and you can expect to pay a pretty penny to. This won’t stop both of these bourbons probably being early contenders in our 2020 Top 10 wish list.

Looking back at our Jim Beam review scorings, we were surprised to see that the original Baker’s was actually top of the charts. That’s right it even beat Booker’s! Controversial for many we’re sure but it’s all about opinions. So for Baker’s traditionalists like us, you can still find the original small batch out there. Go find them quick, they won’t be there forever.

Review Updated - July 2020

History

If there was ever a man in the bourbon world who needed a bourbon named after him then this is the guy! 'Baker Beam' made his name as a master distiller at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, not only was he the grand-nephew of Jim Beam himself but he was also the cousin of Booker Noe. As most bourbon lovers know, Mr Noe is widely recognised as the creator of small batch bourbons. All in all, this fits in rather nicely and a bourbon made in his name was going to happen sooner or later.

The 1980’s saw the births of the single barrels and small batch collections. Consumers (particularly the Japanese market) began wanting bourbons a little more upmarket, something similar to Scottish single malts. The distilleries were more than happy to oblige, not only could they charge more for these exclusive bottlings but it would hopefully make their entire portfolio, including the basic bourbons more popular.

Now how can we define ‘small batch’. We’ve probably all been there, when someone asks you, “What’s the difference between regular bourbon and small batch bourbons”? Thankfully the answer is really easy. There is no complete definition of what small batch bourbon is. It can range from the combining of 2 barrels to 200 barrels or even more. What the label of small batch does do, is it makes the bourbon sound more interesting, more desirable to the everyday consumer. It even has an air of exclusivity surrounding it.

So, what about Baker’s bourbon itself? It is the regular Jim Beam mash-bill but aged for a minimum of 7 years and is bottled at a ‘hold onto your hat’ ABV of 53.5%. It is however distilled initially at a lower than usual proof (the actual figure is not released) than the average Jim Beam whiskey and is aged in the centre racks of the distillery warehouse. The intention in all of this is to allow the bourbon to pull out more of the nut, fruit and vanilla flavours from the barrel.

So how did the Gents find it...

The Review:

For this review Mav drank it neat in a Glencairn glass and for the first time Mr. Pie drank it neat in a Norlan glass. The Gents will in the very near future write up a tasting glass review, so will go into greater detail there in what we find different in the particular glassware of choice.

Nose

What we got – Both the Gents find this to be a spicy fruity nose with vanilla. The difference in glassware used may contribute to Mav finding the spice on the nose a little overpowering but this is certainly not the case for Mr Pie who noses deep and finds a load of caramel sweetness also

What they say we should get - Fruity, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, spice

Palate

What we got – The high ABV percentage kicks in straight away with tons of heat but the vanilla fruity sweetness remains. A heavy peppercorn spice is found with a gentler cinnamon lingering around too

What they say we should get - Nutty, with good grip. Plenty of tangy fruit with vanilla spice and rounded char

Finish

What we got – A very impressive lengthy finish ensues with spice, fruit and oak right through to the end

What they say we should get – Rounded, good length, sweetness and coffee

Summary

Fruit seems to be the predominant element found in most reviews of Baker’s and the Gents are no exception. Those 7 years in the barrel create a beautiful balance of fruity sweetness with a perfect spicy counter-reaction. This bourbon has to be one of the finest finishes we’ve found on any bourbon for what seems like a long, long time. It is an outstanding well-rounded bourbon and we find it difficult to express any negativity at all. In fact, it is our highest scoring Jim Beam small batch bourbon with a combined score of 16 out of 20.

Baker’s is the last of the Jim Beam small batch collection which the Gents have reviewed. Why it took us so long, we have no idea! It’s not as prevalent on social media as the others within the collection and most people’s favourite seems to be Booker’s. We think it’s time to break away from the populace and invest time and money into this gem of a whiskey.

Score

8 out of 10 - Mav

8 out of 10 – Mr. Pie

Original Review Posted - July 2018