Jim Beam Black

[bourbonmed]

Folks,

Jim Beam's black label is no longer aged for 7 years. It's now an 8 YO, which is what it used to be a few years ago if I'm not mistaken. The label is the same, except for the age statement. I meant to pick up a bottle to compare taste yesterday but Blanton's was on sale. Anyone tried the 8 year old yet?

Omar

[Guest **DONOTDELETE**]

Yes Omar I bought two bottles last month when they were on sale. I like it just fine. It's 86 proof rather than the 90 proof it used to be. It tasts like Jim Beam ought to taste. At a price point half way between the 80 proof 'white label' 4 year old and the 100 proof Knob Creek 9 year old the 86 proof 'black label' 8 year old should find itself many happy consumers.

I've also heard some grumbling that the 'white label' has really gone downhill.Since the very best barrels are going into Booker's and Knob Creek I can see where the quality of the white label might be diminished somewhat. I haven't tried the white label in many years so I wouldn't know for sure, and without a older bottle for a blind A-B test I still wouldn't know for sure.

Linn Spencer

Have Shotglass. Will Travel.

[vasshopper]

Hi Omar

I have both of the jb-black with the 7yr-9o* and the newer 8yr-86* or that is the way they are labeled here in missouri. sometimes i wonder if bottlings are different in various regions of the states. the 7yr tastes better to me but that is just my opinion and as always the older bottles tastes better. there is some outstanding bottles of various bourbons made back in the 70s and 80s but hard to find. found some old forrester distilled fall of 1970 and bottled in spring of 1976. i'll be bringing this and also other old bottlings of good bourbons if i can make it there to the festival and locate all of you

Life is good--den

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by vasshopper on Sun Aug 26 09:43:15 2001 (server time).</FONT></P>

[cowdery]

The last bottle of Jim Beam Black I bought, a month or so ago, was the 7 year old, 90 proof. If Beam is fiddling with this product again, I hate to see it. They have changed it many times over the years, diddling with it a year here and a proof point there. I think it's a pretty good product and I wish they would just leave it alone. I especially hate to see them lower the proof, as I am increasingly drawn to 100 proof bourbons.

As for the quality of White Label suffering due to the success of Knob Creek et. al., probably not. The volume of White Label is so huge relative to all of their other bourbons that the dilution effect is negligible.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://cowdery.home.netcom.com>--Chuck Cowdery</A>

[cowdery]

I looked in a store yesterday and, sure enough, the 8 year old, 86 proof Jim Beam Black is on Chicago shelves.

I also went back and looked at the original expression of the black label. It was "Beam's Black Label" (as opposed to Jim Beam) and it was 8 years old and 90 proof.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://cowdery.home.netcom.com>--Chuck Cowdery</A>

[Exdimmerjock]

I know GD is not a bourbon but it is my second favorite pour after WT101. Do you all ever tip your hat to a TN whiskey that is made just like the Kentucky stuff, but not? I would also like a discussion of sour mash vs. not sour mash. Speaking of the B of the M, if I were out on the lost highway, in the sadest dive you ever saw, and needed a sun going down libation. Only choice, JB White or JD on the rocks. JD would be my choice. Ricardo:cool: