Jim Beam is the biggest bourbon in the world. Luckily, that has not made the people in Clermont, Kentucky lazy. Not at all. Apart from the huge range of Jim Beam products there are also several other brands available from the distillery. Think of Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, Baker’s and Booker’s and you think of high quality bourbons.

A long time ago I received a sample from (let’s hope I don’t mess up credits again) John Derks of Beam’s Distillers Series. A 7 year old bourbon at 45%/90 proof. Since my backlog has only been growing till about a month ago, I never got around to tasting it, but I changed that last weekend.

Nose:
The first hints I get are of traditional bourbon. A little cereal, lots of corn which makes me think of cornbread. There’s also quite some sirupy sweetness going on.

Taste:
The taste is a lot more complex than I expected with chili peppers, quite spicy and almost no sense of alcohol. Very smooth. It feels a bit viscous with whole grain bread, a hint of nutmeg and other wood spices.

Finish:
The finish gives off a nice warming glow, sweet and spicy. A bit peppery and burnt bread crust.

A very nice dram. There could have been a bit more oomph, but the smoothness here is quite appealing too. The nose was a bit simple, but the heaps of flavours you get after that makes for a pretty nice dram.

Jim Beam Distillers Series 7yo, 45%, should be below € 30 if you can find it.

Nose: 5
Taste: 7
Finish: 6
Overal experience: 7
Price/quality: +2

Total: 27 points