Jim Beam put all of their eggs in one single barrel basket.
Jim Beam has long been a giant in the bourbon world with its famous Jim Beam White Label consistently ranking as one of the best selling bourbons in the world. The rest of Jim Beam’s collection includes a line of flavored whiskies, a few limited releases including Old Tub, and then the standard releases. This set of spirits has definitely seen some innovation and improvements in the last few years with the inclusion of Jim Beam Double Oaked, Jim Beam Bonded, Jim Beam Rye Whiskey, the “extra-aged” Jim Beam Black, the interesting Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, and last but not least – Jim Beam Single Barrel.
Single barrel bourbons are certainly not new and are almost expected these days. But that didn’t make us any less excited to try Jim Beam Single Barrel. However, excitement wasn’t exactly the emotion we felt after trying this bourbon. Jim Beam Single Barrel has both overwhelming and underwhelming qualities. Our particular bottle was 108 proof and well, it showed. This bourbon really comes in hot with a heat-filled bite that never quite dissipates and doesn’t leave much room for anything else. There are small notes of caramel and a little oak here and there, but nothing that’s strong enough to beat the heat.
The first iteration of the single barrel offering years ago was apparently only 95 proof and filtered, compared to the unfiltered 108 proof we tasted. This change is touted as a bit of an upgrade, but we’re left a little more interested in what the bourbon tasted like before. If a high proof bourbon is solely what you’re after, than Jim Beam Single Barrel is certainly your bottle. But at $37 a bottle, we’d like a little more flavor behind that proof punch. All in all, we’re happy to know that Jim Beam is branching out, but are more excited about what’s to come than what’s currently here.
STATS: Jim Beam Single Barrel Bourbon
- Price for us: $37 for 750 mL
- Proof: 108
- Aged: NAS (Estimated between 4 and 7 years)
- Distillery: Jim Beam
- Recommendation: On the rocks or mixed.
