Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Style Rye

"My notion of what a five-star rating-system represents: * = excreble, you drank it and hated it, **=you’d choke it down if served it socially but never put it in your own liquor cabinet, ***=solid but not distinguished, capable of being your own house “well bottle” on a cost:price consideration, ****=outstanding, either great for the price or worth stretching for, *****=best in class, you may never/never be able to pay the price but were glad to have sipped it. All that said, Beam Pre-Prohibition may be /stretching/ towards a four-star rating. Only a producer of the magnitude of Beam could offer a taste this lusty and classic for so little. When drinking rye, one should be tasting RYE. You do here, but in a distinctly American, i.e. non-Canadian, fashion. If it’s not your home’s rye of choice, you should definitely audition it for that role so as to save yourself some of your hard-earned dough."

Not supremely leggy; leaves some light specks on the inside of the glass. Amber-gold color. The nose is to me is lots of spicy herbs: rye (obvz), black pepper, fennel, star anise, black licorice. It's got such a bitter, sharp nose. There is an almost medicinal quality. There is a finished wood/lacquer richness at the end. The taste is heavy, dusty cinnamon right at the start. Sawdust and wood spice. Some caramel and toffee softens the sharp edges a bit. The finish is where this Rye makes its bones: lots of cinnamon and black pepper spice. Wood spice, sawdust, seeded rye bread. There is an interesting candied orange and potpourri, as well as cigar ash. This is a very solid, nicely-priced rye that works great as an addition to any rye cocktail, and also holds up on its own, if rye is your thing.

Nose: Lots of peppery rye spice and butterscotch. Strawberry and cherry Laffy Taffy hits after enveloped in a thin layer of vanilla and barrel char. Palate: Sweet caramel and a punch of black pepper lead the way. The vanilla and barrel char are more pronounced with cherry Laffy Taffy taking the back seat. Finish: Medium in length. Soft tannins and a sprig of spearmint entice another sip. Summary: One of the best bang for your buck whiskeys out there. Cheap, but offers a lot on its own while holding up well in cocktails. It's disappointing that this has been discontinued for the return of the inferior 80 Proof Rye. If you see this when you're out and about, it's definitely worth snagging up a bottle or two before they're completely gone. Hopefully we see it back sooner than later.

At first I need to correct yet another error in Distiller. Description says 45%, but it's 40 %. Even this picture says so. Back to the drink: I love that fruity smell. Apple, pear and hint of cinnamon. Sweet, sweet baking. The taste is also nice, but little bit watery on the front. The undiluted product must be nice. But this is very gentle sipper. Sweet, fruity. And not really suitable for drinks and cocktails - it lacks the punch, the acidity and it just dissappear in any cocktail. It says "pre-prohibition" style, but it feels more "prohibition style" - take some nice whisky and water it down to make volume. That's sad, especially if the lingering taste profile is so nice. But try to guess it's rye in blind test, I dare you.

On the nose, this comes across as sweet, reminiscent of banana bread. I also get a little oak wood and a hint of caramel. Almost reminds me of a bourbon but not quite. At first taste, the sweet bread comes out but is gradually replaced with a more rye/wheat bread flavor. There’s definitely an okay quality to it and the hint of caramel is here too. The rye spicyness comes in later. The finish, despite coming across sweet initially, is dry and typical of a rye whiskey. There is a not unpleasant burn at the end. It’s not particularly complex, but there’s nothing bad here. For the price it a very good rye. I sip it neat and enjoy it very much, though I do like the George Dickel rye a little better

The nose of this rye is absolutely delightful. It begins with a heavy whiff of rye spice, and builds with sweet undertones of chocolate and cherries. There is a hint of floral nectar as well. The nose does a wonderful job of building anticipation for the taste. It promises big things. The rye is big and bold. It features a heavy spice and a sweet vanilla caramel flavor. The sweetness is mellowed by notes of wood and leather that build into the aftertaste. It is warm and rich and sweet. An excellent rye. It is a lovely experience neat, and I am forced to wonder what it might taste like in a manhattan.