Red Stag by Jim Beam.

[JMac72]

"Black cherry is my favorite Life Saver flavor, so I like Red Stag. Although not classed as a liqueur, it put me in mind of Wild Turkey’s American Honey. It is not a similar flavor, but the same kind of beast, and probably something you would drink on the same kind of occasion.

Finlay’s letter also says, “Red Stag is created though a unique, artisanal, natural infusion process where black cherry flavors are slowly and carefully infused into our fine, four year old bourbon.â€

Considering the strict standards governing what constitutes bourbon and its ingredients; won't Beam have to change their label to classify it as a liqueur?

[kickert]

Finlay’s letter also says, “Red Stag is created though a unique, artisanal, natural infusion process where black cherry flavors are slowly and carefully infused into our fine, four year old bourbon.â€

Considering the strict standards governing what constitutes bourbon and its ingredients; won't Beam have to change their label to classify it as a liqueur?

[Eggman]

Howdy,

How about making Red Stag a BOM this year?

Eggman

[Hondo]

I noticed Red Stag in my local liquor store on Friday and I wanted to give a go, however I didn’t want to buy 750 ml's because I really didn’t think I would care much for it. So I they had some mini's so I grabbed two on the way out the door.

I was out for the weekend of camping with family and friends none of which really care too much for bourbon. Yea, I don't understand it either. So I drank the first mini neat and liked it. Then I mixed the other with some diet coke and it made a nice drink as well. A couple of people that were close to me got a whiff of it and asked me about it.

The next day I stopped by a liquor store and get a 750 ml bottle to take back to camp. It was a hit with the whole gang, and several people then were willing to try some of my other bourbon's that I had on hand. I had a WLWSR and VOB Bonded as well as a Buffalo Trace and some of them liked these too but had never really tasted bourbon.

Beam may actually be on to something here that interested people in bourbon that are not normally attracted to it.

For me personally, I'll keep some on hand. It won't replace any of my favorites but it was nice for a change and it was pleasant in diet coke if I want to mix something.

Good job JB!

[thatred1]

Surprise, surprise, it's available here in Ohio, now. My husband saw it in several of his accounts (he's a beer & wine rep) and wondered what the story was. I knew I'd find it here! Thanks, Chuck, for the always very considered opinion. I haven't tried it yet, but might it make a good Manhattan?

[ThomasH]

I bought a bottle of it a week or so ago. Not bad in a mixed drink but have heard it compared to cough syrup when consumed straight!

Thomas

[gr8erdane]

I picked up a bottle last week and don't find it objectionable at all. It is what it is. When is the Yellow Monkey by Beam coming out? I love bananas...

[kickert]

I tried a 50ml of this last night. Because of the the semi-favorable reviews you all were giving it (and since I take a guilty pleasure in WT American Honey), I thought I would give it a try.

Oh goodness is this stuff sweet. Like syrup sweet but without the viscosity. I could not have told you this was 80 proof, nor could I have told you it was an infused bourbon. The cherry flavor is pronounced and I could see this being good mixed in a coke, but there is no real bourbon flavor to it.

I would not buy a bottle, but I would take a glass of mixed drink made with this.

[AVB]

My emails with Beam on this:

State: PA

Email: the_avb@yahoo.com

Site: Red Stag

Type of Inquiry: Product Information

Inquiry: Suggestions/Comments

Message: Bourbon, by law cannot be artificially flavored. It is terrible

that you would consider calling this bourbon (which it isn't) and putting

the fine name of Jim Beam on it. Call it "Cherry flavored American Whiskey"

but not bourbon.

Reply:

Thanks for your inquiry about Jim Beam’s newest product Red Stag! We always make sure our Brotherhood of Bourbon members are the first to know about what’s new at Jim Beam. At Jim Beam, we value the spirit of bourbon and we have since 1795.

Great question - You are correct that bourbon has to follow certain defined guidelines in order to qualify as “bourbonâ€. We classify Red Stag as Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that has been INFUSED With Natural Flavors.

The process of infusing natural flavors into the bourbon and its corresponding verbiage is in compliance with all regulations. As you know, we would never treat fine bourbon with anything but respect. Just as we take the craft of making our whiskey seriously, so have we taken the charge of creating a unique, artisanal and flavorful product that our ancestors would be proud of. Once you taste Red Stag, we hope you will feel the same way.

Please let us know if you have other questions. Be sure to check out www.theRedStag.com for more information and for upcoming news about Red Stag.

In case you haven’t heard the news, Jim Beam® has introduced A Different Breed of Bourbon, Red Stag by Jim Beam™. Learn more about our unique, cherry-infused bourbon at TheRedStag.com. You'll find recipes and tasting notes, and you can Join The Herd to stay informed about promotions and cool events in your neck of the woods! Remember, you must be 21 or older to visit. And don’t forget, you can also gather at the Red Stag watering hole and connect with other Red Stag fans by becoming a friend of Red Stag by Jim Beam on Facebook.

We like hearing from our consumers, so thanks again for contacting us. Have a great day.

Eric

Jim Beam® Customer Care Representative

Reply

Dear Eric,

My whole point is right in the reply you sent.

"In case you haven’t heard the news, Jim Beam® has introduced A Different Breed of Bourbon, Red Stag by Jim Beam™."

It isn't bourbon, different breed or otherwise and you should stop calling it that. I've reviewed over 180 whiskies and I know what bourbon is and as soon as you "infuse" add flavor or otherwise change it from the way it came out of the barrel it isn't bourbon. The same way that the Distiller's Masterpiece, both the Port and Cognac finish, were not considered bourbon. I expect better from Jim Beam unless Fortune Brands is driving the advertising train and then I wouldn't put it past them calling it ambrosia to sell a product.

Regards,

XXXXXXX

No reply to this so far in over a week.

[ILLfarmboy]

I tried a 50ml of this last night....

[Josh]

If only the reviews of the bacon-infused Old Fitz I brought to the Sampler were as good as these!

[gr8erdane]

Good enough Brad but think of it this way: why use up good Weller Antique for infusion experiments when Beam has already used product you or I probably wouldn't otherwise purchase to get the same results? If black cherry is the taste you're looking for it's got that. And you've still got Weller in the bottle for enjoyment.

[ILLfarmboy]

Good enough Brad but think of it this way: why use up good Weller Antique for infusion experiments when Beam has already used product you or I probably wouldn't otherwise purchase to get the same results? If black cherry is the taste you're looking for it's got that. And you've still got Weller in the bottle for enjoyment.

I suppose I could always add some Red Stag to some straight bourbon, say, beam black, just to keep everything in the same distillery character, and use that, perhaps one to three, Red Stag to Beam Black. I think I would eliminate the orange slice. Too different from black cherry. I would need to get some cherry bitters. I think someone has mentioned cherry bitters before, not black cherry but cherry. I'm not sure Fee Brothers Old fashioned bitters, which is my favorite, and has a pronounced Christmas spice character, would work well in such a drink.

[Jono]

Does it share any flavor similarity with cherry cough syrup? Cherry Nyquil?

Or less harsh and mostly sweet?

[gothbat]

This stuff is definitely too sweet for me, I had some this weekend and I could not taste any whiskey at all! Glad I tried this at a bar and didn't actually buy a bottle because I really didn't like it, not that I was planning on doing so... I pretty much knew what I was getting in to but still had to try it anyway.

[gr8erdane]

I think that some here have missed the point. Many have said they don't taste the whiskey. I don't think you're supposed to. That's why they add the flavor. This is probably aimed toward the cocktail drinker who doesn't want to taste the overwhelming alcohol in say an infused vodka. Bourbon doesn't give me that alcohol taste so is a good medium to add flavor to for cocktails. And though I'm not the chemist I imagine the aftereffects of one too many might not be as painful the day after.

[fishnbowljoe]

Does it share any flavor similarity with cherry cough syrup? Cherry Nyquil?

Or less harsh and mostly sweet?

Less harsh and mostly sweet. A manager of a local grocery store liquor department gave me a 50 mil bottle so I could try it. It's very sweet. I use my empty 50 mil bottles to send samples in. I soaked, washed and rinsed this 50 mil bottle. I'm afraid to send a sample in it because there is still a heavy cherry smell with this bottle. Joe

[kickert]

Less harsh and mostly sweet. A manager of a local grocery store liquor department gave me a 50 mil bottle so I could try it. It's very sweet. I use my empty 50 mil bottles to send samples in. I soaked, washed and rinsed this 50 mil bottle. I'm afraid to send a sample in it because there is still a heavy cherry smell with this bottle. Joe

I had the mini sitting next to a 50ml of American Honey (which is my go to sampling bottle b/c I can get them for $0.50 a piece) and I too was thinking just how nice they would be to send samples. Plastic bottle with a very sturdy cap. I would be interested in buying some of these empty bottles.

[gothbat]

I think that some here have missed the point. Many have said they don't taste the whiskey. I don't think you're supposed to. That's why they add the flavor. This is probably aimed toward the cocktail drinker who doesn't want to taste the overwhelming alcohol in say an infused vodka. Bourbon doesn't give me that alcohol taste so is a good medium to add flavor to for cocktails. ...

I don't know, maybe, but then I don't see why they'd bother mentioning that it was infused bourbon instead of simply saying black cherry liqueur or something. My assumption is that by telling us that it's implied that they intended for it to have a bourbon taste, if only a slight one. I mean when I have a cocktail with bourbon in it I can taste the bourbon just sometimes more than others. I do have to admit I haven't tried a lot of cocktails with bourbon in them though. You'd think that at the very least the power of suggestion would make you think you sort of taste it but I don't even get that.

[cowdery]

What people sometimes misunderstand about the regs is that you can't flavor a spirit and call it bourbon, i.e., not disclose the flavoring and the true provenance of the underlying spirit. That's what the regs were designed to prevent, the sale of compound whiskey as straight bourbon.

Once a spirit has become Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey you can't debourbonize it. If you add cherry essence to it, it is then classified as bourbon with cherry essence added to it, but the bourbon is still bourbon. The regs are about truth in labeling and the Red Stag label is truthful. The product is Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with X, with the X in this case being black cherry and other natural flavors.

Should it be labeled a liqueur?

Liqueur is defined as follows in the Federal regs:

(h) Class 8; cordials and liqueurs. Cordials and liqueurs are products obtained by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with or over fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices therefrom, or other natural flavoring materials, or with extracts derived from infusions, percolation, or maceration of such materials, and containing sugar, dextrose, or levulose, or a combination thereof, in an amount not less than 2 1/2 percent by weight of the finished product.

The classification system allows a certain amount of producer choice, in that a product may use any term for which it qualifies. As I read the reg above, the sugar requirement is in addition to the natural sugars in the fruit or juice ingredients and, in fact, fructose isn't mentioned, so I suspect Red Stag does not even qualify to be a liqueur. Even though it tastes very sweet, the sweetness is coming from the bourbon itself and the fruit essences, not from added sugar.

As I've said before, probably already a couple of times in this thread, if you don't generally drink cocktails and don't generally like anything sweeter than straight bourbon itself, then you won't like this stuff. And, in fact, you'll probably think it tastes like cough syrup. Personally, I think they dodged the cough syrup bullet, but it's a close call and your mileage may differ.

[gothbat]

Well, I guess that's why they call it what they call it, I still think they should have made it taste a little like bourbon though, cherry flavored bourbon sounded good! :]

[pepcycle]

If I were Beam, I'd be thinking like this.

1. Bourbon has a mystique

2. Bourbon doesn't have a taste that appeals to everyone

3. How can we make this more palatable

Add Flavor!!! that everyone likes.

Voile.

The newest version of LPR.

[AVB]

Chuck,

While they may be adhering to the letter of the law they are sure not adhering to the spirit (pun intended), The advertising is: "A Different Breed of Bourbon, Red Stag by Jim Beam" It isn't a different breed of bourbon since it isn't bourbon. I for one, hope it fails miserably.

What people sometimes misunderstand about the regs is that you can't flavor a spirit and call it bourbon, i.e., not disclose the flavoring and the true provenance of the underlying spirit. That's what the regs were designed to prevent, the sale of compound whiskey as straight bourbon.

Once a spirit has become Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey you can't debourbonize it. If you add cherry essence to it, it is then classified as bourbon with cherry essence added to it, but the bourbon is still bourbon. The regs are about truth in labeling and the Red Stag label is truthful. The product is Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with X, with the X in this case being black cherry and other natural flavors.

[cowdery]

The fact that it is bourbon and does not mean it's not bourbon. The bourbon is still bourbon. You may feel that's not what the regs mean, or that's not what they mean to you, but that's how the TTB is interpreting them these days and that's all that matters. (Another example of Obama ruining America, no doubt.)

[booniesville]

It's too hot out side to drink this stuff anyway but I imagine I'll have a different opinion when the temp drops and I reach for something to warm me up. The flavor is not bad but a little to heavy for this time of year.