Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect

I loved Chapters 2-5. Number 6 was a major disappointment. I’m hoping this one can right the ship. I don’t want to bore with a full breakdown of the blend components, but this has very old bourbon mixed in with a little young, as well a young rye and a young malt aged in applewood smoke barrels. Sounds good. Nose: Loads of spice. Clove, nutmeg, black pepper, allspice, and oak. Pipe smoke and black tea. Peanut brittle. Gala apple and black cherry. Toasted almond. Pumpkin spice. Sawdust. Pistachio. Palate: Toffee, gala apple, and black cherry. Brown sugar, caramel, and fudge. Macadamia and toasted almond. Dried apricot, raisin, and fig. Pistachio. Plum and grape. Spearmint. Sawdust and leather. Finish: Brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla. Raisin and dried apricot. Fig and date. Plum. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. This puts the Little Book line right back to where it wants to be. It’s a delicious whisky that’s boasts incredible punching power and remarkable balance. It’s a mix of extremely old juice—by American standards—and a fair share of younger stuff as well. It feels like a meticulously-orchestrated employment of each and every component selected. At $150, this is priced identically to Chapter 6, and this one is worlds better. Not to mention the impressive age statements that comprise this blend; overall, this was well worth the price of entry. Even if you aren’t a big-time collector limited edition releases, I’d highly recommend grabbing this if you can find it. And if you are a completionist, this is an absolute must buy. Superb release from Jim Beam. 5/5.

N: A rich Bourbon nose with no ethanol to speak of. I know there is a rye as well as a finished Malt Whiskey in here, but I'm not picking them up. Just a great deal of oak and caramel. It is a great nose! If I didn't know what it was, I would guess a 12-15 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. P: Creamy, oily palate that reveals a little heat. The oak is dialed in very nicely here. Caramel, vanilla, but not very nutty. However, I don't pick up a big peanut note from Beam (I also don't get the Flintstone vitamin note on Dickel either). This taste very similar to how it smells which I regard as a plus. This is a good one to sit with. I'm hunting the non-Bourbons in the mix and coming up empty. They don't mention the split of the mix a la Bardstown, so this could be almost entirely Bourbon for all I know. F: Lingering finish hangs on as the oiliness continues to make its presence known. All in all, an enjoyable whiskey. Perhaps not a world beater, but I'm glad it's on the collection.

I guess I will be the first to be the fan boy of this one and give it a perfect 5. I can taste the best parts of Bakers, Knob Creek, Bookers and Old Grandad in this whiskey. It is hard to blend 7 different whiskies together and truly showcase something from each one, but I think Freddie did it here with chapter 7. I'm usually a type of guy that will claim a good $60 bottle of bourbon will get you close to some of these special releases but I can say that the way this showcase's the amount of flavors and the concentration of flavor is nothing but impressive. I paid MSRP at $150 and would do it again if given the chance. The viscosity is awesome, and whiskey has zero harshness or ethanol for a 118 proof whiskey. Combine that with a nice little kentucky hug on the finish and it is a great whiskey to sip and tease out all the flavors one by one. Excellent job of blending by Freddie here. 5 star pour for me.

Aroma - lots of greenery here. Rye is dominating this neck pour. Wintergreen gum and pine notes black licorice. Leather is off the charts here as well. Very bold. As it opens, apples really make their presence known. Taste - This is one complex offering. Rye and old oak is very evident here. The Beam peanut butter profile is found way in the back on this. Apples and light berries also come through here as well mid-palate. Just a slight punch of that peanut butter creaminess comes forward on the finish. Overall - This is extremely rye forward in my opinion. Rye dominates in the nose and the palate on this neck pour. The flavors are nice & well balanced. Worth the Price ? — Yes (I will update rating and this review during future pours)

A nice dark fruit note that leads to caramels, moderate oakiness, slight char, a touch of wax, then the dark fruit come back. Some nice warming baking spice notes lead into the finish which has char, oak and a dash of cherry. the finish is medium length and relatively easy going.

Nose- 5 spice in front of the normal jim beam characteristics Palate - rye forward, complex, flavor evolves toward the finish Finish - medium duration, strange spices I cant describe This is off the neck pour ill have to come back later when it airs out a bit