Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect American Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

 

It's been 228 years since the inception of the iconic whiskey brand Jim Beam. However, it wasn't until 1947 that the name Jim Beam existed. James Beauregard Beam was the one who revived the distillery following the end of Prohibition, which led to the name change.

 

The founder of the family business was Johannes "Jacob" Beam, who sold Old Jake Beam Sour Mash using a Bourbon recipe passed down from his father. At 18, Jacob's son, David Beam, took over the company, and his son, David M. Beam, began commercially bottling Old Tub in 1880.

 

David M. Beam's son, James, rebuilt the distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, after Prohibition shut it down. That's when Old Tub was renamed Jim Beam in 1943.

 

James' son, T. Jeremiah "Jere" Beam, introduced Jim Beam Bourbon overseas, but he had no children. However, his nephew, Frederick "Booker" Noe II, did. Booker's son, Frederick "Fred" Booker Noe III, is the current master distiller for Jim Beam, and he has a son named Frederick "Freddie" Booker Noe IV. Eight generations of Beam family members have distilled the same Bourbon recipe for over 200 years!

 

Freddie is the Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery, where Beam’s small batch and innovative whiskeys have been distilled since 2021. Incidentally, Freddie was responsible for Clermont Steep, which I reviewed in July and is one of my favorite whiskeys of 2023.

 

That leads me to today’s review of Little Book Chapter 7: In Retrospect. Freddie harvested whiskeys from some of the previous six Chapters and blended them with an additional seventh one. The breakdown of In Retrospect is as follows:

• 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Chapter 5: The Invitation)
• 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Chapter 3: The Road Home)
• 10-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (Chapter 2: Noe Simple Task)
• 9-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Chapter 4: Lessons Honored)
• 5-Year-Old Straight Malt Whiskey finished in Applewood Smoked Barrels (Chapter 6: To The Finish)
• 4-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Chapter 1: The Easy)
• 4-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (the new portion of the blend)

"This retrospective chapter was a great opportunity to involve my new team in the journey and spirit of Little Book. Everyone brought their ideas to the table and thought about how we can create the highest potential from this unique catalog of whiskies we've utilized over the years. I'm really proud of the final outcome and excited to help expand folks' whiskey journey with this release." - Freddie Noe, Master Distiller

 

In Retrospect weighs in at a healthy 59.05% ABV (118.1°), and a 750ml package has a suggested price of $149.99. While distribution is national, Beam states that quantities are limited.

 

While I know many of you may be curious how In Retrospect compares to previous releases, this happens to be my first adventure tasting any of the Chapters. However, before I can #DrinkCurious, I must thank Beam Suntory for providing me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Let’s get to it already!

 

Appearance: I sipped this American whiskey neat from my Glencairn glass. The liquid inside was a dark orange amber. A husky rim shed crooked tears that crawled back to the pool.

 

Nose: The aroma consisted of orange rind, shredded tobacco, toffee, plums, cherries, and nutmeg. Drawing the air through my lips yielded a sensation of floral rye.  

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was like water. Caramel, orange zest, and smoke hit the front of my palate. I’m assuming the smoke is from the straight malt component. Midway through, I tasted floral rye, leather, and tobacco leaf. The back featured ancient oak, clove, and freshly cracked black pepper.

 

Finish: The finish was dense, warm, smoky, and spicy with cinnamon, rye spice, nutmeg, clove, old oak, and black pepper. When I shifted my attention away from the remaining flavors and concentrated on the duration, it was like a car rolling down a gentle grade. I pulled out a stopwatch; it lasted a few seconds over two minutes.   

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: In Retrospect doesn’t even attempt to hide its stated proof. It is quite warm, with the first sip bordering on hot. However, it was easier to discern flavors once the palate shock wore off. The more times I sipped, the less impact the proof possessed. I can taste what Freddie was thinking when he created this blend. In Retrospect seems to be a journey of love. Flavors were complex, with various layers that folded into one, then another.

 

Would I want In Retrospect to cost about $20 or so less? Yes. Would that impede me from recommending it? No. My Bottle rating is well-earned, and I believe you will come to the same conclusion. Cheers!  

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.