New Limited Edition Jim Beam Black 8 YO Bottle

[Paradox]

I was at a liquor store the other day and saw this new Beam Black limited edition bottle. I am not sure if others have seen it but it has been the first and only time I ever saw one. It's the same bottle that is used for Old Grand Dad 114. Just wanted to share a photo of it with everyone.

[bluesbassdad]

Packaging really does matter, doesn't it?

Even without the swoopy, outer container, this bottle does a much better job of announcing the distinction of the product within than does the regular JB black bottle (identical to the JB white bottle, save for the label).

Never mind the blind taste tests; I'd bet that a sample of average bourbon drinkers would say bourbon from this limited-edition bottle tastes better than the same bourbon from a regular JB black bottle -- and they'd be more likely to spend a few extra bucks to try it.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Paradox]

Even without the swoopy, outer container, this bottle does a much better job of announcing the distinction of the product within than does the regular JB black bottle



I couldn't agree with you more Dave, I thought the same exact thing when my eyes fell upon it in the store.

[cowdery]

Never in the history of marketing has a brand been as fiddled-with as Jim Beam Black Label.

[Paradox]

In the past though Chuck, hasn't Beam Black been mainly put into ceramic decanters? I only ask because I do not know much at all about the old ceramic decanters put out by distilleries and this is the first different regular glass bottle of Beam Black I have seen... I do not go for the old ceramic decanters at all, mainly newer glass bottles.

[jeff]

I have to admit that I took a second look at this one and almost bought it just because of the bottle. Then I remembered I had come for some Weller 12 and this was only JB Black. No Contest http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/images/graemlins/falling.gif

[cowdery]

That may be its ancient history, but not for the last 20 years or so. In that time, they have fiddled with the bottle several times, changed the proof, changed the age, etc. At one point they added something like "Reserve" or "Distiller's Reserve" to the name. At one point they put a fake serial number on it. One time they gave it a very modern label and a streamlined bottle. Some of the iterations never got out of test market.

You may be thinking of the fact that until they introduced Jim Beam Black they had never put the Jim Beam name on any product other than the standard white label. They had a billion other products, including more than 1,000 different ceramic decanters, but the name was always "Beam's X." They even had a tequila called "Beamero." Black label was originally "Beam's Black Label." It was a big deal when they decided to make it "Jim Beam Black Label" instead.

My contention was, and still is, that it's a poor man's Booker's. When you adjust for proof, the taste is very similar.

[Paradox]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Chuck, very interesting... I had never even herd of something called "Beamero", that's too funny.

I agree with you on the whole "poor man's Booker's" thing, there is quite a similarity between it and bookers when cut some.

[cowdery]

I noticed that this new bottle is 8 years old, which is what the standard black label was in the "Beam's Black Label" and early "Jim Beam Black Label" days, which was a decade ago or more.

[Paradox]

Jim Beam Black changed from 7 to 8 years of age about 3 years ago or so. And along with that change also came a proof change from 90 proof and 7 YO to 86 proof at 8 YO...

[bobbyc]

Jim Beam Black changed from 7 to 8 years of age about 3 years ago or so. And along with that change also came a proof change from 90 proof and 7 YO to 86 proof at 8 YO...





Also at the writing of Gary and Mardee Reagans book it was a 8 year Bourbon, I always figured that the break to 7 for a short time was due to an imbalance of aged inventory, Generally a cut in age results in a cut in customers.


<font color="brown"> Good God Give Duane Allman Some </font>

[BSS]

Not sure how limited it is, but there was an end of the aisle display full of these bottles at both liquor barns in Lex.

[Paradox]

Would you know approximately how long the 7 year variant was around Bobby? I've often wondered that just for curiosities sake.

[Paradox]

Limited on these types of bottles generally never means limited in a Stagg/OFBB etc type of way... Plus that's KY, we'd never see an aisle display for JB Black like that up here in the NE http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif

[TNbourbon]

SHHH! I'm the poor man they're talking about in "Poor Man's Booker's". Don't send everybody else out looking at the back of the shelves for the older 7yo, 90-proof until I've stocked up. I like it, and still find it occasionally. When I find it, I buy it. Darned good and cheap is often as good or better than great, but expensive ("Rich Man's JB Black"?).