Jim Beam Devil's Cut

[wadewood]

I'm going to a Devil's Cut launch event in Houston on July 19th.

If only it tasted as good as it looked.....

[timd]

Tastes like Beam White - which I haven't had in years, but can't seem to escape. It's not awful - maybe a touch too sweet for me. I do get the wood and it's definitely a cut above White - and probably closer to Black.

I don't get any KC or Bookers - because both of those are "pretty good" (to me). It was on sale for $18, so I bought a bottle... It'll last a while, but it's not terrible by any means - it's just very "Beam" in its flavor (which reminds me of drinking too much in college).

[ebo]

I just found a bottle of this in Ohio.

I agree with timd... it tastes like JBW to me, just a bit bolder. I won't buy it again.

[BourbonJoe]

It's not awful

I think it is.

Joe :usflag:

[callmeox]

I think it is.

Joe :usflag:

Yep, you told us as much on the 10th. Good to see that you are holding the line, Joe.

[ethangsmith]

Ethan, have you tried Weller Antique, Weller 12, Elmer T. Lee, Old Charter, or Sazerac? Those are the BT bottlings I would recomend. Their flagship bourbon I find ok, but sort of boring. Some of their other stuff; the prices start to get kind of crazy. I believe Chuck once said something to the effect that their experimentals were an experiment to see how much people would pay. :slappin: Having said that, I like all the products mentioned in the earlier post, except have never had Pikesvelle (but love Rittenhouse). I don't like Beam white label. Beam black label, and Knob Creek; I can take it or leave it (mostly leave it). I've said it before. Beam should re-introduce a bonded version of Overholt.

I have yet to have a BT product I like. I've tried basically all of those BT products and gave them away or dumped them. To me, every BT product I've ever had tastes like chemical cleaners and battery acid. I would take a bottle of Devil's Cut any day over BT products. I guess Devil's Cut was created for me!

[jburlowski]

I have yet to have a BT product I like. I've tried basically all of those BT products and gave them away or dumped them. To me, every BT product I've ever had tastes like chemical cleaners and battery acid.

[ethangsmith]

Haha. No unfortunately. I just don't know what it is, but every Buffalo Trace product I try I dislike. One oddity was when I had a bottle of Eagle Rare it tasted "moldy" and very acidic. Outside that, all the other ones I've had just were rough and real acidic. It seems all the major producers have a certain flavor that is in all of their products. HH has an almost dry citrus tone, while Beam tends to have cinnamon and spice, and Brown-Forman products are very "wet" and leathery.

[Mattythebeer]

I'd buy it again if I could find it for under $20.

just moved recently to new mexico and was happy to find this locally for $17 a bottle, also have my personal favorite- Knob Creek for 25, so im in heaven.

enjoyed the flavor though at only 90 proof, i was left wishing it was a tab stronger.

[Brisko]

I bought a 50ml of this the other day, fully prepared to hate it, and I ended up rather liking it. Enough that I would consider buying a 5th, even. I see it's on sale locally for $17 or $18....

On the other hand, I can get other decent whiskeys in the same age range for less: FC103, for instance, and older and better whiskeys like EC12 for about the same....

Still I like it far and away better than Beam Black and even the standard Knob Creek for that matter.

[Roadsaw]

Had some devils cut last night while watching the Packers game. Its alright but not one i will be pouring on a regular basis.

[pepcycle]

I finally got a bottle of this up here in NY and put it through its paces last night.

Side by Side with Jim Beam White, its clearly more aggressive up front with caramel, wood and tannin. The sweetness is Jim Beam Black as is the overall Beam signature.

The mid-palate goes flat a little and then leaves a lingering and somewhat drying finih. I'm not getting mustiness or grass, nor green corn or nasty bite, which is classic to JBW.

I like it. It's 3 more layers of complexity than JBW and not as forward as the KC, BH, Booker's, Baker's which are kind of extremes in 4 classes.

What it lacks is richness and mouthfeel of a longer aged whiskey.

I think they figured out how to add flavor but not the balance that comes with age.

I'll drink it all and then decide. My definition of a winner is buying a second bottle (or more)

[RegChumpington]

I didn't think it was bad, more just unremarkable... the nose was the most interesting thing about it and the palate and finish were just kind of bland, with maybe a hint of raw sugar sweetness. Definitely not offensive and probably a decent enough mixer.

When VOB is cheaper, I can't really say there's much to draw me to JBDC.

[ILLfarmboy]

I think they figured out how to add flavor but not the balance that comes with age.

I've seen it in my area. I haven't tried it because, as I figured and as you succinctly put, balance would be lacking. I figure it would sort of be like using tea leaves twice and blending the first and second run, with the second run using little water and some type of some mechanical extraction. Yeah, your gonna get more tannin and color, but at the expense of what?

[Bourbon Boiler]

I've seen it in my area. I haven't tried it because, as I figured and as you succinctly put, balance would be lacking. I figure it would sort of be like using tea leaves twice and blending the first and second run, with the second run using little water and some type of some mechanical extraction. Yeah, your gonna get more tannin and color, but at the expense of what?

I think you get more tannin and color, but you still don't get a lot. If JB White & JB Devil's Cut were the only two whiskeys in existence, the DC would obviously be a noticable step up. However, there are better options out there at the same price point.

[Buffalo Bill]

Anyone post any tasting notes on Devil's Cut? I just finished off my last bottle of Distiller's Series and loved it. I'd crack the bottle and put it away for a few months, fabulous.

[Rotgut]

After trying this for myself and reading the posts above, I agree it's not bad but for the money there are better bourbons available. If I shop around I can get KC for not much more than DC.

However, some points above, from members with better palates and more bourbon knowledge, made me think it's an interesting drink for curiosity's sake or in an academic way, the way white dog and 1-day whiskey are. They aren't expressions I'd buy often, but since I haven't ever worked in a distillery and may not ever get to visit one, that's my next best option to explore different aspects of bourbon, flavors, and processes. If Devil's Cut is a youngish whiskey, but displaying more of the flavors associated with close contact with the wood, it's valuable if only to illustrate that aspect of bourbon.

Mike

[RegChumpington]

Anyone post any tasting notes on Devil's Cut? I just finished off my last bottle of Distiller's Series and loved it. I'd crack the bottle and put it away for a few months, fabulous.

I'm not anyone special but here were my notes on it:

Jim Beam Devil's Cut 45% ABV

Nose: Initially shows up with some corn notes, as well as a slight clay-like earthiness. Light vanilla cream, moderate wood. Slight cherry note.

Palate: Light mouthfeel, slightly warming, the clay earthiness comes through. Fairly lightweight - not a lot of flavor on the palate. Gets somewhat bitter after a brief bit, with a vague vegetal note. Has a low-level new-make sweetness as well, with that unrefined sugar note.

Finish: Warm but fleeting. Light cherry note and moderate length, but it dries out and becomes just sort of indistinctly alcohol-like. Not strong though. Also has the new-make note on the finish with the certain grainy sugar.

Comment: There's just not much happening past the nose here. It's not bad - at all - but there's just not a lot to it. This is right on that cusp of C+/B- and if there was juuuust a little more to it it'd be safely into B range.

Rating: C+

(I grade on the LA Whiskey Society scale which just makes the most sense to me...)

[Buffalo Bill]

It's just hitting the shelves in MA and I'm trying my first shot of it. Right out of the bottle this stuff is ripe. Semi-unfiltered? Wood floating around and settling to the bottom, but not cloudy. This is some kind of impressive! Complex fruit and loads of it with a herbaceous slant and leather right off the top. Lots of earth, round with a mouthfeel that's highly unusual, almost like a cordial. It hits me in the teeth then surrounds the pallete without any serious aggression, more subtle and quick to finish. Not a dry ending... kind and sweet, lots of maple. Vanilla, oak, tobacco, allspice, and snappy lemon/orange peel in the nose. Rich chestnut color with good legs. Easy drinking. Chocolate. Undertones of black olive. It hits the back of our throat and comes up sharp through the nose without much around the gum line. Echoes of Brown-Forman & Heaven Hill. The boys at Beam are onto something quite remarkable and unique. BB

[Buffalo Bill]

Jim Beam Devil's Cut 45% ABV

Nose: Has a low-level new-make sweetness as well, with that unrefined sugar note. There's just not much happening past the nose here. It's not bad - at all - but there's just not a lot to it. This is right on that cusp of C+/B- and if there was juuuust a little more to it it'd be safely into B range.

-----

~You're right in there! It tends to go downhill fast-in-the-glass and ends up getting dusty. It's a bourbon suited for a younger palette. Good tannins, but it won't retain it's value long without a hit of nitro in the bottle. Gets thin towards the bottom of the glass and doesn't hold on. Rock candy, sugar water.

[RegChumpington]

Jim Beam Devil's Cut 45% ABV

Nose: Has a low-level new-make sweetness as well, with that unrefined sugar note. There's just not much happening past the nose here. It's not bad - at all - but there's just not a lot to it. This is right on that cusp of C+/B- and if there was juuuust a little more to it it'd be safely into B range.

-----

~You're right in there! It tends to go downhill fast-in-the-glass and ends up getting dusty. It's a bourbon suited for a younger palette. Good tannins, but it won't retain it's value long without a hit of nitro in the bottle. Gets thin towards the bottom of the glass and doesn't hold on. Rock candy, sugar water.

As a friend said, "I'm sure it mixes just fine." It'll be totally OK to have on the shelf during the holiday season. An interesting experiment at least and I'll tip the hat to Beam for giving it a go (and putting some SERIOUS bucks behind it).

[Buffalo Bill]

A definite desert bourbon... sweet.

[Young Guns]

I bought a bottle of it when it first came out. I was looking through the shelves trying to pick something new out and the clerk said that Beam had just come out with some new stuff. I had never had any Beam before so I figured "why not", and bought a bottle. At that time, it was the highest proof I had drank, and I liked it. It tasted okay neat, but it was much better as a mixer with Diet Dr Pepper. Don't think I'll buy another bottle of it, but from a new guy's standpoint, it was pretty good.

[OscarV]

I picked up a 50ml of it the other day.

Glad to be able to check it out.

It was OK but not going to get a 750ml, I think I will get another 50ml though.

[pepcycle]

@Buffalo Bill

I'm intrigued by your suggestion of solids in your bottle.

From what I know about the process, that's all but impossible.

Can you capture that in a photo?

I'm sure the Beam folks would be interested in that bottle.