Jim Beam Single Barrel Bourbon 108 Proof

Barrel # JB000763932 Color: Medium Copper-Amber (First pour in a Glencarin, neat) Nose: Spicy, slight alcohol whiff that tickles my nasal passages. Definitely getting some Barrel char and oak, followed by doughiness — like Play-Doh (Weird, I know). Since this is Beam, I'm supposed to be getting "nutty". Not sure about that — at least not on this initial neat pour. Maybe on the next one....? Palate: The palate follows the nose's lead, almost to a "T". "Spicy" is the first thing to make it's presence known, followed by some heat — but nothing overwhelming. Chest hug comes in at you sloooowly. Moderately creamy mouthfeel that coats the tongue nicely. As I was saying, since this is a Beam, I was expecting the roasted nut profile. I'm not sure if that's what I'm getting. But it's a "roasted something". Smoky, roasted something! I grew up in the North East, not far from New York City, and spent quite a bit of time there, visiting museums, Rockefeller Center, etc. In the Winter time, the street vendors' carts emitted all kinds of smells — one being roasted chestnuts. That aroma is fairly etched in my brain, and I am pretty sure that's what I'm getting — what I am recalling mentally... if a smell can be "tasted". I think that's one of the most abstract things I've ever said here since joining Distiller. LOL! Finish: Ever-so-slightly bitter finish with lots of oak and spice, and more of that roasted something. Funny, I've not once mentioned "sweet". It hasn't been a prominent feature. But I can say there's some "sweetness" on the finish. Just a bit around the sides of the tongue. Final thoughts: This is good. Not exactly, "Oh my God"-good... but good. Solid sipper that doesn't really drink per its proof. This Beam SiB was fairly hard to track down. No stores around here ever have it in-stock, which seems odd to me. I'd think a Beam bottle would be more widely available. But I had to buy this online from a liquor app — which I never have done until now (shipping is ridiculous, and makes affordable bottles unaffordable). But I had a free shipping promo, and so it was now or never. So, what am I getting at?: Would I buy this again? Maybe. If I could find it in a store for around the same price or less, sure. But I won't go out of my way again for it. Just as I was finishing up this review, I took a sip and BAM! There's the Beam "nuttiness" at the back of my tongue. Added 7/13/24: Getting some "oatmeal raisin" on the palate tonight... as the large ice ball melts. As a result, I am upping my rating from 3.0 to 3.5.

So, I heard about this bottle months ago and I finally found it. Not a lot of information on this out there. Why doesn't the Jim Beam website list this next to the Jim Beam Single Barrel 95 proof? Why is the 95 proof, chill filtered version more expensive? How is this different than Baker's, which is nearly the same proof and also single barrel, but way more expensive? I have a lot of questions, but I'm glad I got to try it. So, flavor: It's a recognizable but cleaner Jim Beam profile. Reminds me of Knob Creek single barrel, and you might feel like this is a KCSB just proofed down to 108. The reason I describe it as cleaner is because there's a lot less peanut, and a lot less heat and dark caramelized sugar qualities than what you usually find in KCSB, even accounting for proof variance. Overall, it tastes less dry/dusty. Almost like it really was filtered, despite the statement on the label to the contrary. It's a pleasant, neat sipper, with some creaminess that allows it to drink smoother than its proof. So, is it worth it? Unfortunately, I paid $38 for this in NJ. At that price, it's just fine, not much different in value than KCSB at $10 more and 12 proof more. On the other hand, the product is being sold for $24 in Kentucky. At that price it would have been a steal, no question!

Barrel No. JB000207032 Open 6 months Nose - Salted unshelled peanuts, light mint, salty caramel, shiny citrus rind, light oak, medium ethanol. Palate - Salty peanut brittle, cereal grain, light honey and caramel, astringent tannic oak, sharp ethanol bite. Finish is medium-short, mostly tannins and ethanol on the back end. Finish lacks sweetness and peanuts. It tastes young and would've been better blended with other barrels. If I judged this on the neck pour, it'd be a 4.25/5. Alas, the quality dropped off after being open a couple of weeks and it sat on my shelf collecting dust. I believe the 95 proof single barrel I bought over a year ago was much better, less bite and much better rounded sweet peanut flavors. I know this is priced unusually high in NC, $40 while some states have it for less than $30. At $40 this is a definite skip, I would buy the Jim Beam Black instead for much less money, or just buy Knob Creek anything. It makes sense to rebrand their single barrel at a higher proof if you're selling at this price, but they did a poor job picking this barrel.

Interesting move from Beam, raising the proof on their SiB. Makes for a crowded lineup with all the same mashbill. Knob Creek, 100, 9 year - $29 Beam SiB 108, NAS - $37 Knob Creek SiB, 120, 9 year - $54 Bakers SiB, 107, 7+ year - $68 NCF and a screwtop makes me think this bottle can't decide what it wants to be. Nose: A lot of grain and toasty bread, with some sweet undertones. Some solid heat on the nose as well Palate: Nutty with some rising spice and cherry with a really nice mouth feel. Finish: A little light here, not much wood, but a good amount of cinnamon and pepper. For being a pretty low rye mashbill (13% rye) this has some serious heat on the nose and back end. The nose heat feels more like ethanol, and less flavorful. Both price and proof wise, this seems to be right in the middle of the Beam offerings. It’s a perfectly serviceable bourbon- a solid array of flavors but just too hot and not polished. Clearly young. For a few bucks less I’d stick with Knob Creek 9 year or even OGD 114. Probably won’t buy another bottle of this. Unimpressed.

Barrel 325646 Nose standard if distinct Beam sourness(mash?) peanut shell, brown sugar and baking spice. Still one of my favorite noses. No real burn or ethyl fume even at 108. Starts sweet, nice brown sugars as the peanut and leather kick in so does the high proof burn. This actually gets very hot in the middle and stays warm to the finish when all that heat subsides with some oak and tobacco nibs. There's really nothing extra here, it's Beam and if you like the Beam profile in a big bunch, you should really like this. Very representative of the "Beam profile", this SiB reminds me of the Distillers Cut release that came at a slightly lower proof, a little less of a full punch profile but also about half the price. This is one SiB I could easily see spiking with a bit of branch water to tame down the heat. Maybe not a great deal but really what SiB worth drinking is going to be considerably less than 40USD? Cheers!

On the nose, heavy amount of the rye spices upfront with vanilla, honey, caramel and cherry notes in the background. Peanut skins become apparent on further wafts making it apparent that this is a Jim Beam product. The ethanol from 108 proof is apparent and adds to the spicey notes. Upon the mouth swirl, flavors of caramel, burnt sugar, and vanilla linger on the tongue with the spiciness filling the throat. Black pepper, and citrus notes become apparent with a hint of roasted peanuts. Warm and lasting on the palate and throat in a very nice way. Overall 3/5 on the nose; Taste 3.75/5; Overall 3.75/5 Repurchase: Yes Type: Daily Drinker