Whenever I write a Tasting Round-Up, I’m
always looking for a cute little angle,
or tie-in, to explain why we picked this
collection to taste. So, in true Lewis
Carroll style, I thought, “hey, how
about a little logic”. October is
Halloween time. Halloween is for sweets.
Bourbon is sweet. Bourbon will be
October.
And then I heard my Mama’s voice in my
head. You know, the voice that taught me
to never lie. (You probably hear that
voice too, from time to time – not my
mother’s of course, but your own). The
truth is: I recently came back from the
Kentucky Bourbon Festival, and while
there, I drank a lot of bourbon. A lot
of bourbon. A real lot of bourbon. So,
because of my recent intoxications, and
in honor of September being named
National Bourbon Heritage Month, the
Whiskyguild presents October’s Round-Up,
a day late, but hopefully not a dollar
short. We chose the Jim Beam line,
because it is well-established, popular,
and, with six offerings, the perfect
size sampling. And that’s no
Jabberwocky.
Jim
Beam (white label): A pretty
nose, at first earthy and musty,
then giving way to lightly-charred
oak, mint, and bruised oranges.
There were also hints of maple
syrup, and of course rye. White
label was very lightly sweet on the
palate, which complemented its lithe
body. This litheness was continued
on to the (relatively short) finish,
which, though warming was
nonetheless fresh and vibrant, with
a floral, juniper berry quality to
it. A straightforward whiskey, not
complex, but still quite pleasing.
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Jim
Beam (black label): This is a
Big Whiskey. It has a rich, full
nose, bursting with caramel, peach
pits, and a “soft” oakiness that
just wants to stay in your nose and
hang-out there for a while. It’s no
surprise, then, that Jim Beam Black
has a medium/full bodied, chewy
mouthfeel, slightly bitey. And the
finish doesn’t disappoint either.
Heavy notes of burnt sugar, toffee,
and caramel perfectly counterbalance
a mélange of fruits, as this whiskey
slowly wafts away. A Southern
gentleman’s sippin’ whiskey.
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Basil
Hayden’s: Not to encourage angry
e-mails, but just as some heavier
whiskies are referred to as
“masculine”, those that are
lighter-bodied can be thought of as
“feminine”. Basil Hayden’s is a
feminine whiskey, and delicious. It
is incredibly complex, with a sweet,
floral (dare we say Scotch-like)
nose; lightly crisp, balancing sugar
wafers versus toasted oak. A
surprisingly medium/full body
transitions beautifully to a finish
of vanilla beans and more toasted
oak, which keeps echoing in your
consciousness for quite some time.
Basil Hayden’s is considered a
beginner’s whiskey, but this is
nonsense. Instead, I think of Basil
Hayden’s as a gorgeous,
well-rounded, subtle, and smooth
whiskey. (I always did like the
ladies).
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Knob
Creek: This one’s easy. Knob
Creek is beautifully full of
everything. Big caramel. Big rye.
Big char. Big vanilla. Big stewed
fruits. I don’t really know how they
cram all that bigness into that
little bottle, but they do. The body
is very full (of course), and the
spicy, long finish stays with you
like water on wool. The most popular
of Beam’s Small Batch Collection, my
only complaint with Knob Creek is
that it is almost too serious. This
whiskey is (I can’t resist) a
heavyweight.
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Baker’s: Another “heavy”
whiskey, Baker’s has a lightly
vegetal nose with charred oak,
pepper, and maple syrup.
Medium-bodied and chewy, this
whiskey has a hot, shortish finish
full of rye bread, caramel (though
not enough to overcome the rye), and
quinine.
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Booker’s: Heaven, I’m in
heaven…An incredible nose that you
could, quite literally, lose
yourself in: sweet honey, citrus
(grapefruits, oranges, lemons),
candy caramels, traces of graphite,
woodsmoke. One taster said it
reminded him of waking-up at a
campsite and smelling the wet earth
and still-smoldering embers from the
night before. Too true.
Interestingly, the body of this
whiskey is much lighter than
expected, practically dancing in
your mouth. And the finish! Dry,
with light spice, the finish bursts
with dried fruits, oak,
blackberries, more caramel (but not
“sticky-sweet”), and the lightest
essence of vanilla. An absolutely
elegant whiskey.
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Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com
Nov
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Dec 06
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Jan 07
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Feb 07
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Mar 07
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Apr 07
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July 07
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