Baker's Single Barrel High Rye Bourbon 7 Year (2024 Release)

Date barreled: 01-2017 Barrel age: 7-YRS 6-MOS Serial no. 000114807 Warehouse: CL-3 I think Jim Beam is one of the most tourist-friendly distilleries on the market, but there are still enough engaging and unique parts of it that seem to drive me to return a couple times each year. This time around, I was delighted to see a huge selection and plenty of stock, but considering my actual shelf space is running low, I decided only on this. I now realize that they charged nearly $20 lower than MSRP, which is insane and makes me sad to remember the absolute capitalist nightmare that liquor stores are. The last time I had Baker's, it was in the previous wine bottle and with the old label, so I imagine it's been at least half a decade. Although I don't quite understand where the differences lie between this and many other Jim Beam products that seem far too similar on paper, what I do remember is that old Baker's was easily one of the worst bourbons I have ever had. Considering Jim Beam isn't very fond of change, I sure hope the new mash bill makes up for that, since the proof and age are basically the exact same. The color appears golden brown and muscat, with nothing too special, other than the meniscus looking very watery. The nose is definitely prominent with sweet rye, combining cinnamon and a general herbaceous with plenty of natural oak sugar. The proof seems just right, allowing an elevation of the rye's spiciness without burning out the nostrils. The rye is also obvious with the first sips, and seems to split between an oily citrus and fruity combo on the tongue, as well as quite the hot, minty burn that digs into the gums. Repeat sips really start to get hot, but it remains in the gum line and fades rather quickly from the tongue and throat. The flavor continues to dominate with the rye, but the age is just enough to sand off the more powerful edges with a touch of caramel and overall sweetness. The finish is still quite hot, with a bit of fake sweetener flavor that lingers around, unfortunately a little too long. Although somewhat unremarkable after continued drinking, the high rye yield of this mash bill definitely delivers for the spicy rye lovers, and it's miles above what I had long ago. I'm happy that this line of single barrel products actually puts barrel info on the label, as opposed to Knob Creek, which I would argue is Jim Beam's most popular single barrel product line. In any case, this is really a good score for the price I got it, but not quite unique enough for MSRP. This is flexible and does put me more at ease about the idea of trying the classic Baker's again, especially since the barrel used may have just been a flop all that time ago.

Barreled 01/17 Warehouse CL-3 Aged 7 yrs., 6 mo. Color: Medium copper-Light Amber Nose: Interesting nose! I'm not getting the usual maple and leather that I get from the majority of bourbons I've had. This is more... Grainy(?). I'm going to attribute this to the higher rye content. Dill? Ok, now I know what it is — spearmint, or menthol... or eucalyptus. Weird, I know. I've never gotten that on the nose from any bottle that has come before it. Let's go in for a first sip... Palate: (drank with an ice cube) The higher rye % really is the star of the show here. If someone had blindfolded me, and asked me to take a sip, I'd have asked, "Ok, what Rye is this?". But as the ice slowly dissolves, the "bourbon" starts to come through. I'm getting a nice "time release" chest hug upon further sips. A faint hint of cherry is the next flavor to make an appearance. But this profile is mainly spice-driven. The more I sip... and the more the ice opens this up... the more things I'm getting. I just got a major blast of "cedar" on the last sip I took — like lemon varnish on cedar planks. Very interesting, this one... very interesting, indeed. Finish: I'm calling this a long finish. The spiciness and the herbal/menthol profile dominates here. Wow. I really love when a bourbon surprises me and sends me down a different path than most others have. This is not the smokey, leathery, sweet, cinnamon-y bourbon that I tend to gravitate towards. But I gotta say, this stuff is unique. I don't think I can really compare it to any other bourbon I've had (and I've had quite a few at this point). I'm going to go back to what I've said before — this is a very "Rye-like" bourbon. I wish I had a bottle of Baker's 107 to compare it to. That one I list among my Top-10 bourbons. I may need to grab one and do a side-by-side in the near future. Final thoughts... this is very good. I am not sure yet, at this stage, if it's a "back-up"- worthy bottle. However, considering this is a "Limited Release", I'd say you owe it to yourself to give it a spin — especially if you're a fan of Baker's like myself. I'm giving this a solid 4.0 stars.

Nose offers spruce, apple, light vanilla, cedar, allspice, and a hit of creme brûlée. Very traditional. Ethanol basically non-existent. Palate is full of barrel char and oak tannins. Additional notes of rye spice, black peppercorn, flan, peanut, cinnamon candy, and mint. Hardly any mid-palate to speak of; literally races to the finish. For 7+ year age, there’s a heat here that I wouldn’t expect given the proof. Everything is a little disjointed. “Minty oak” is the predominant flavor which I don’t really dig. Long finish brings more barrel char, oak, cinnamon, mint, with a hint of ginger. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, but has a grainy sharpness that hits the sides of the tongue in a manner similar to hot sauce. Oof. I thought I would like this more than I did, but ultimately disappointing especially for an LE and given that I usually enjoy Bakers. At $74.99, this is a huge “nope” for me. Not terrible but pretty far from great.

Nose: light syrup, a vanilla sweetness, and a touch of cinnamon and spice Taste: sharp oak and rye spice, pine, and mint. Not as sweet as the nose would lead you to believe. Finish: lingering finish with hot rye spice, followed by a mellow sweetness and lingering tannins

The mouthfeel is more on the lighter side. Some really nice muted sweetness on the palate and full of flavor and baking spices. Nice finish for a 107 proof.

Nose: Caramel, Vanilla, mild cinnamon Palette: Woody and high rye changing to oak with some earthy notes Finish: Medium finish of oak and leather