BOTM, 6/07: Jim Beam Black

[stevecole78]

Miller,
Maybe the reason you come to this website is different from mine. I am not here to push and teach people to do things my way. I have spent alot of time researching others profiles and comments to figure out what I might be interested in. Then I went out and tasted many of these bottles. For a newbie to lose out on that experience seems like a big waste of time.
I see many posts that request opinions on bottles....I say try the search button, read a profile or two, maybe get together with some friends to do a tasteing. Just don't expect me to be your daddy and hold your hand the whole way. This is a fun process that everyone should embrace....hunting for dusties, developing a pallet and broadoning your horizons.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy that new people come here for information. Just navigate the site, try something new and then develope an opinion. Not the other way around.

Care to help me out? Don't hate...educate! I still haven't read what you thought the best bourbon is for it's price. Did I over look it?

[mozilla]

To all,
I refer you to New to Straight Bourbon: Bourbon Recommendations.

I would put the worst bourbon one my list up against Beam black, anyday.

[TNbourbon]

...I would put the worst bourbon one my list up against Beam black, anyday.

Well, I don't know nothin' about bourbon, but I always keep JBB on-hand, because it's a great mixer and is also acceptable neat. At c. $20, that's not all that common.
And, of course, the 'worst' bourbon on my recommendation list IS JBB!

[Gillman]

I can think of a number of bourbons under $20 I would buy first. First and foremost, Weller 107 which tastes better IME and offers a considerable proof advantage (i.e., more whiskey for the money after dilution to, say 86 proof). Heaven Hill bonded (regular or green label 6 years) offers a better taste IMO, so does Very Old Barton. True, these are regional names, but one can stock up after a visit to bourbon country. VOB is almost half the price as I recall to Beam Black. Beam Black is good whiskey but a number here find its anise-like aftertaste not to their liking. Of course, taste is personal, but these are just some ideas. Also, I should mention bonded Rittenhouse rye, which is really a bourbon by another name (in that rye is the flip side to bourbon, both are the same thing in different intensities of the rye taste) and is a superb value. Not sure what Ancient Age 10 Star is going for these days. And how can I forget Evan Williams, no longer marked 7 years but still an excellent dram. Maybe I just have the taste for the mid- to lower-range HH products but to me they represent an old tradition of excellent quality country whiskey, as does VOB. In the Beam line, I like Knob Creek but the others seem of a piece in the anise-like character which is one I find hard to like.

Gary

[ILLfarmboy]

... Personally, I stock-pile Basil Hayden's Small Batch Bourbon.

...unfortunately it's not available at all of the bars i frequent. So I'm quick to call out Maker's Mark. it's readily available, reasonably priced, and still a great bourbon!

A couple points. Basil Hayden is selected barrels of Old Granddad bottled at 80 proof. If you like it you might well like Old Granddad BIB (bottled in bond) better, 100 proof, more whiskey less water equals more flavor. Ditto for OGD 114. If you like Maker Mark you'll most likely love Weller Antique 107 or perhaps Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year 107 proof. More whiskey less water. All three are what are called wheaters, that is they are made with wheat instead of rye.

I agree with the poster who said you should broaden your horizons. Any recommendations we would give you would, in most cases, be based on what we already know you like. No one wants to insult your choices. JBB is an OK bourbon, but in all honesty it isn't the be all end all, and neither is Makers. Incidentally if you really dig on JBB, if you haven't already, give Booker's a try. I think you will like it.

[cowdery]

I like Jim Beam Black a lot. It probably is the best value in the Jim Beam portfolio. A case can be made for Old Grand-Dad BIB, but that's a completely different taste profile. Of the various expressions of the Jim Beam formula, Black Label is easily the best value.

But for the best value in a bourbon, period, I would go first with Weller Special Reserve, Weller Antique or Weller 12, Elijah Craig 12, certainly Very Old Barton BIB which, admittedly, requires a trip to Kentucky, and probably a couple of other things.

But I have nothing but good things to say about Jim Beam Black and it has been a favorite of mine for years. Its wide availability is a big plus.

I will say this to stevecole78, by way of a possible explanation for some of the posts he's gotten in response to his posts in this thread. All of the products you have mentioned favorably are owned by Beam Global Spirits & Wine. From time to time, online discussion groups like this one are visited by touts for some company or another who pose as ordinary consumers and talk up their company's products. We don't mind producer representatives here. We welcome them, but it's good practice to be straight and identify your vested interest. I'm not accusing you of anything, just pointing out why some people may seem a little bit skeptical about your enthusiasm for the products of just one producer.

[TNbourbon]

I can think of a number of bourbons under $20 I would buy first. First and foremost, Weller 107 which tastes better IM[O] and offers a considerable proof advantage (i.e., more whiskey for the money after dilution to, say 86 proof)....Gary

I like Jim Beam Black a lot. It probably is the best value in the Jim Beam portfolio...But for the best value in a bourbon, period, I would go first with Weller Special Reserve, Weller Antique or Weller 12,..But I have nothing but good things to say about Jim Beam Black and it has been a favorite of mine for years...

The vicissitudes of pricing are such that Jim Beam Black and Weller Antique 107 cost almost exactly the same thing in my part of the the world. I'd point out that the duo are my 'basic' recommendations (actually, the Wellers, generally) for 'rye' and 'wheat', respectively, in my profile.

[TBoner]

So I'm at a soccer match Saturday evening and as we're entering the stadium, a young woman sticks a bag under my nose and says "free candy."

I don't know about the rest of you, but presented with an open bag and the words "free candy," I still reach in and take one automatically, without hesitation. What I got makes me wonder what else I've been missing. It was a "tamarind flavored soft candy." The "candy" is a paste that is pushed up through a plastic grating, from which it is licked, a whole candy delivery system that is new to me--a dispenser.

It tastes like tamarind, which I know from Chinese food. It was sweet and fruity, plum-like, with a sharp, peppery bite. I didn't care for it.

Today I thought of that candy as I drank some Jim Beam Black, but I don't mean that to sound unflattering. Jim Beam is distinctive for being a very clean spirit, but it still tastes green in the white label incarnation. In the black, all of that greenness is gone. Instead I get plummy sweetness and vanilla, similar to the tamarind candy except without the parts I didn't like.

Chuck,

I finally got around to picking up some tamarind candy at my local Asian supermarket, a soft candy similar (probably) to what you had. Indeed there is something Beam blackish about it, and in a way it reminds me of OT from National Distillers (also very plummy). I also bought some tamarind juice at a Hispanic grocer which I plan on using in an experimental whiskey sour, per a post in the "Whiskey Sour-ing" thread.

I find ethnic groceries inspiring as sources for new foods to cook and taste (obviously), but also as sources of new and interesting candies, cocktail ingredients, and taste bud touchstones for tasting whiskey, beer, rum, etc. As you said, I always wonder what else I am missing. I like to have a lot of taste referents for anything I consume.

Anyway, thanks for the post.

[Solomon2]

I didn't say it was my favorite bourbon. But for the price it's pretty darn good. Personally, I stock-pile Basil Hayden's Small Batch Bourbon.

What a coincidence! I just did a face-off tonight, alternating sips of JBB & BH w/branch in between. I also think of JBB as my "reference" bourbon, although I do not detect a hint of vanilla as others do, I just think it has a blah finish. BH, on the other hand, is the "scotchiest" of the bourbons I've tried, though I find its body a bit weak.

JBB is quite cheap here in Montgomery County, Md., as I picked up a 1-liter bottle for under $17. I'll keep it for mixers, as I keep BH for those who would otherwise drink scotch. For sippin' purposes, however, Jim Beam Black is just too dull.

[MurphyDawg]

Gotta say guys, Jim Beam black is one of the few beam bourbons I like. Its not bad for a no nonsense sipping.