Beam Maple destroys Beam

[toddinjax]

I'll spare you the long details, but I was in a situation where to avoid offending someone I care about, I actually drank a pour of Beam Maple. OMFG…..this sh#t is NASTY. Not in a "cheap, lousy bourbon" way, because it is nowhere near as good or drinkable as rot gut bourbon. I would drink bottom shelf Old Crow all day and night long to avoid tasting this crap again. It tasted like bad imitation maple syrup. If I had it to do over again, I'd just risk hurting someones feelings. I'm not expecting members here to be surprised by this experience, but I was truly shocked at how bad this product is. I do enjoy KC, but I will look at any other new products from Beam, ANY product from Beam, with great reserve and skepticism in the future. They have done their brand a terrible disservice from which they will not quickly recover.

[Richnimrod]

Let That Be A Lesson To You, Sir. 'Taste at your own peril'; I say.

Never trust a marketer to do anything good for Bourbon.

[TunnelTiger]

Gimmicky whiskey's are gimmicky period. Honey this, maple that, works with vodka obviously so therefore it will work in whiskey. Wrong!

[P&MLiquorsEric]

It's not intended for the bourbon enthusiast crowd. They slap the beam name on it to charge a premium. It is GNS with maple flavoring and a splash of the youngest bourbon they have available.

[PaulO]

Do you think they use their best whiskey to have flavoring added to it? Unless I find out otherwise, I think most of the flavored stuff is grain neutral spirit and chemicals. Apparently some people must like it. There is a lot of it in stores.

[MyOldKyDram]

I'll hold out for age stated Beam Maple.

[squire]

I kinda think Old Crow is the good stuff compared to what goes into these flavored 70 proof thingies.

[sutton]

Easy enough to make on your own ... without the added chemicals, no GNS and with better whiskey to boot, if you are so inclined.

[squire]

True enough Mark but I can't help but think I'm either wasting good Bourbon or good Maple syrup.

[sutton]

Probably a bit of both ...

[zillah]

I was at a whiskey festival and as I was passing by tables I saw something I never saw before - it was a Canadian whiskey. Unfortunately, it was maple flavored. So, I moved along until the guy at the table said, "you sure you don't want to try this?" as I was walking away I said "No, thanks I don't like flavored whiskey." Then that was when the guy said "Oh, another whiskey snob." (What is it about that term that makes me so mad anyway?) So, I buckled and went back to try it, telling my self that he is right - sometimes I should have an open mind. He said something about the whiskey, poured and then immediately shifted his attention to the hot chicks who moseyed on up to the table right after. Thanks dude. I just knew this one was gonna hurt. Took one sip and didn't even bother to thank him - not like it mattered as he was busy with someone else anyway. I poured it out at the next table. Just awful, vile stuff.

Not sure where I was going with that story but I guess the moral is that even if you keep an open mind, there are still some limits about what you like and don't like and you should keep it that way.

[ThirstyinOhio]

Easy enough to make on your own ... without the added chemicals, no GNS and with better whiskey to boot, if you are so inclined.

I will sometimes substitute in a small amount of maple syrup instead of a sugar cube when making an Old Fashioned.

[ramblinman]

I'm eagerly awaiting the green apple and espresso varieties, going to really set this bourbon thing apart.

[bicktrav]

The purpose of adding maple syrup, or any other flavoring for that matter, is to mask the flavor of the whiskey. That is to say, those drinks are designed for people who do not enjoy whiskey, but presumably want to drink it for the intoxication. I don't think anyone on this forum fits that bill. Makes sense you hated it.

[Gillman]

Well, I don't think that's true. Many regularly drink cocktails which use some sugar or a sweet agent like vermouth. Many mix whiskey with soda, didn't I just see a thread on that...? Older whiskey is sweeter than younger because more wood gums are absorbed the older the whiskey is. So younger whiskeys sometimes get the addition a different way. Personally I don't drink flavored whiskeys because I never found one I really like, but the concept on its own is very valid.

Finally (and I can supply this if anyone wants to see it), I was reading an account of whiskey in its early days which said that different sugars were added, darker to make it look older, lighter if that's what the market wanted. The implication was almost all whiskey sold was sweetened in some way. It really goes back a long way.

Gary

[Hawg73]

I must be a whiskey snob, a coffee snob and a water snob, because I take all of them plain! Shame on me!!!

[Quantum]

The purpose of adding maple syrup, or any other flavoring for that matter, is to mask the flavor of the whiskey. That is to say, those drinks are designed for people who do not enjoy whiskey, but presumably want to drink it for the intoxication. I don't think anyone on this forum fits that bill. Makes sense you hated it.

[kjbeggs]

I must be a whiskey snob, a coffee snob and a water snob, because I take all of them plain! Shame on me!!!

[bicktrav]

I'd draw a distinction between flavored whiskies and cocktails. Cocktails use the whiskey as a base and build layers of flavor upon it. Flavored whiskey seems--at least to me--always to do it's darndest to make the maple or honey or cinnamon or whatever the most prominent flavor note. I just think there's a big difference between mixing a cocktail and pouring a flavored shot. Sort of like there's a big difference between having a coffee with some cinnamon sprinkled on it vs. buying cinnamon flavored coffee. It's probably to do with the synthetic nature of a lot of the flavoring, but the drink just strikes me as attempting to mask the whiskey, whereas cocktails strike me as attempts to build upon the flavor of the whiskey. Don't know if that makes sense. But that's my take.

[Quantum]

Your take makes sense to me.

[flahute]

I must be a whiskey snob, a coffee snob and a water snob, because I take all of them plain! Shame on me!!!

[Kalessin]

For my own recipe Manhattans, I mix WTR101 with grade B maple syrup, half and half. Leave in the fridge for at least six weeks, giving it a shake every week or so. (My recipe: 2.5oz 100pf rye, 1oz Cocchi Vermouth de Turin sweet vermouth,1/2oz rye/maple syrup mix, four Luxardo cherries.)

I use it because it allows the syrup to mix into the drink easier, but it's also a fun flavor all its own. If I were going to do more than sip at the bottle, I'd probably mix it with more whiskey and less syrup.

The Canadians do some of this, with Sortilege as an example (it's marketed as a liqueur), maple syrup in Canadian whiskey. Personally, I like it, and don't think of it in the same category as the flavored stuff.

The "flavored whiskey" on the shelves at the liquor stores doesn't bother me, because I don't bother tasting it.

[jburlowski]

... They have done their brand a terrible disservice from which they will not quickly recover.

They'll sell a gajillion cases and the brand will be just fine.

[smokinjoe]

They'll sell a gajillion cases and the brand will be just fine.

^^ The flavored segment of the whiskey market is on fire. It's huge. Bigger than huge. Driving volume and profitability for whiskey distilleries globally. Beam's brand (as will the others) will be hunky dory, regardless. Don't forget the new Signature labels coming out, BTW. They still have a solid eye on the bourbons.

Heck, if Red Stag can't kill the Beam brand, nothing will...

[Phil T]

Absolutely John and Joe. Our own crotchety one has let us know, that flavored whiskeys are a growth industry. And he is someone in the know, not just guessing. Nuff said.