Jim Beam Black 7-Year Bourbon Review (and Easter Egg!)

 

Jim Beam. Even if you have zero interest in whiskey, you’ve heard of Jim Beam. It's been 230 years since the inception of the iconic whiskey brand. 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!

 

Today, let’s #DrinkCurious and explore Jim Beam Black 7-Year Bourbon. It comes from the same 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley mashbill as the White Label that graces nearly every bar in the country. It is packaged at 45% ABV (90°) and is affordable at $25.00 for 750ml. I picked up a 50ml taster at Davidson’s Liquors in Colorado.

Oh, by the way, after the tasting notes and rating, scroll down a bit. I have an Easter egg for you!

 

Appearance: I poured Jim Beam Black into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The liquid was a caramel color, a shade or two darker than the flagship Bourbon. A medium rim formed gluey droplets with widely spaced, thick tears.

 

Nose: After allowing the whiskey to rest for about ten minutes, I held the glass under my nostrils and inhaled. I found a significant dollop of charred oak and cinnamon. Then came a tidal wave of caramel followed by roasted peanuts. When I took that air inside my mouth, there was more oak.

 

Palate: I encountered a thin, watery texture as I took my first sip. Tastes of vanilla and caramel hit the front of my palate while popcorn and nutmeg landed on my mid palate. The back featured black pepper and cinnamon spice.  

 

Finish: That classic Jim Beam roasted peanut flavor shone like a beacon. There was a bit of popcorn along with caramel. That combination could jog thoughts of Cracker Jacks, but you’d be wrong. Perhaps it was the cinnamon that threw me off? I timed the duration at 1:07, making it medium.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I went into this review with high expectations. For the most part, I enjoy Beam whiskeys. A yawner comes around every now and then. Jim Beam Black 7-Year Bourbon is… well… forgettable. With the higher proof and additional years in oak, there was potential. It isn’t a bad Bourbon; there is just something missing for a daily drinker.

 

Perhaps this would hold up well in a cocktail; something with more of a punch than the flagship Bourbon. As it stands, I believe this Bourbon is deserving of my Bar rating.

 

Yeah, I promised you an Easter egg. I have an unpublished review of the now-defunct Jim Beam Black Extra-Aged Bourbon, which the Jim Beam Black 7-Year Bourbon replaced. Why is it unpublished? Because I write more reviews in a week than I publish in a week. It is very easy to set aside an unpublished review in favor of something new to the market that should be published sooner rather than later.

 

 

Jim Beam Extra-Aged Bourbon carries no age statement, so what does extra-aged mean? Essentially, Beam took their workhorse White Label, made from a mash of 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley, and let it age "extra years." I'll take that to mean at least two extra years. Rumors suggest three, but this is NAS, so this can differ batch by batch. Another quality difference from the White Label is proof. The standard expression is 80°. Extra-Aged kicks it up another six points to 86°.

 

Appearance:  Poured neat in my Glencairn glass, this doesn't look different from the standard Jim Beam Bourbon. It is a light caramel color. It left a medium rim on the wall, creating medium legs that quickly dropped back into the pool of liquid sunshine.

 

Nose:  Aromas of vanilla and oak were predominant. Getting past those, I found cinnamon and a hint of rye spice. When I concentrated on what was beneath the spices, green apple appeared. As I inhaled through my lips, it was pure vanilla - almost like vanilla extract.

 

Palate:  The mouthfeel was shockingly thin. I've had thin mouthfeels before, but this is about as thin as I've ever encountered. Sometimes, a thin mouth gets thicker as you take additional sips, but that never happens. My initial sip was an explosion of the typical Beam peanut flavor. A vanilla companion helped mellow it. Mid-palate, I got dry oak. On the back, it was a single note of black pepper.

 

Finish:  Medium-long notes consisted of barrel char, dry oak, and black pepper.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  Jim Beam Black Extra-Aged is what I would still describe as a basic Bourbon. It is a minor step above White Label. I'd suggest spending a couple of bucks at a Bar and trying this before you commit to taking it home with you.

 

So, that’s it! I hope you enjoyed reading both of these reviews. 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.