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BOTM, 11/06: Jim Beam


jeff
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so question this, power of suggestion or just good bourbon?

Sounds like they really like the emperor's new clothes, ie, they're in love with the label, not whats in the bottle. You could probably put some Georiga moon in there and they'd have the same reaction. And how can anyone really taste the bourbon when mixed with coke? Sure, some make a better drink than others, but to say such and such bourbon is the bees knees after you've mixed it just isn't right.

Here's an interesting experiment. Do a blind tasting with them sometime, with 3 or 4 bourbons STRAIGHT, include white label Beam, their favorite WT, and a couple others. That should show you what they really think.

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I'm doing the same thing using a Ridgemont bottle. The bourbon and coke folk just love it.

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  • 5 months later...

Jim Beam White "This Whiskey is Four Years Old"

Tasting neat, it wasn't too bad. It has a wildness around the edges that I can't put my finger on (is it red hots, wild yeast, and rye?) but in the middle is a nice smooth, slightly sweet corn alcohol. Then it disappears. No finish, but not unpleasant going down. The opposite of full-bodied and rounded flavor.

The good thing about JBW is that the underlying spirit is high quality. Some of the cheaper bourbons, and spirits generally, will tend to get an excessively hot burn and smell to them -think acetone and isopropyl alcohol -the kind of unpleasantness that has to be iced to be tolerable. But I can taste that with some additional years, JBW would turn into a nice rounded bourbon. Interestingly, JBW seems closer to WT101 than to JB Black.

I won't drink this neat or on the rocks, for me it's only for mixing, but not in 7up or a sour.

I agree with miller542 that this is good for mixing with Coke because the flavor shines through.

Final verdict - a decent mixer when you want that strong flavor, a quality product whose presence I'm sure benefits the rest of the Beam products. If you go to the website, you'll note that they tout JBW as a great all-around mixer; I agree.

As for the 7yr, they sell a "Jim Beam Choice" here that has a green label and is 7y.o. I haven't tried that. Has anybody tasted it? Is it just some middle ground between JBW and JBB?

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  • 1 month later...

The Jim Beam White 7 year old is due to be available in PA in mid-August as a "Chairman's Selection" (don't ask). The price will be 15.99. I look forward to trying this at that time (albeit 9 months after the fact). I guess if you wait long enough or look hard enough, you occasionally find things in this fine commonwealth.

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  • 1 month later...

Howdy,

I'm new to alcohol. Started drinking Jim Beam black only a few days ago. 1.5 oz. at a time for a night cap. It's taken a few days for my palate to adjust from Diet Coke only to Diet Coke w/ JBB. I'm learning to like it.

OK, tried JBW tonight w/ my usual Diet Coke. From what I've gleaned here at StraightBourbon, most of you don't hold JBW in high regard; sort of like a Ford Escort w/ manual transmission and A/C.

So far, I prefer JBW to the more expensive and older Black label! I wonder if ya'll will kick me out of the forum? :slappin:

JBW is sweeter tasting (to my inexperienced taste buds) and smoother-with Diet Coke. Oh well, these are just my thoughts on JBW vs. JBB.

Eggman

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I believe most drinkers -- of bourbon, and otherwise -- rarely move beyond habituation. If Jim Beam White were 'bad' bourbon, it wouldn't have the following it does. Luckily for Jim Beam, the combination of price and drinkability prompts many to never look for alternatives.

I suspect once you sample a variety of bourbons, you will find something other than JBW that you prefer both for neat sipping and mixing, even accounting for price. But, until that happens, Jim Beam is acceptable whiskey.

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Jim Beam is acceptable whiskey.

Nope, gotta disagree, Jim Beam is hard to swallow, there is something nasty and oily about it that I can't handle.

Like most products, at least for me, the industry leader is usually the worst.

People just take things for granted and accept what is the only choice.

For example, McDondald's, bad hamburgers but they are #1.

General Motors, bad cars but they are #1.

Bud Light, bad beer but they are #1.

Gallo, bad wine but they are #1.

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Nope, gotta disagree, Jim Beam is hard to swallow, there is something nasty and oily about it that I can't handle.

Like most products, at least for me, the industry leader is usually the worst.

People just take things for granted and accept what is the only choice.

I'm sort of in the same vein. My first taste of bourbon was Jim Beam, and I shied away from whiskey for a while because of it. Wasn't until I tasted Heaven Hill that I really got interested. To my taste buds, regular Beam is very rough around the edges. On the other hand, I do enjoy other Beam products, like Knob Creek and Booker's.

Still, it's really all about what appeals to each individual's palate. Otherwise we wouldn't have so much variety!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I will say this, for just over the counter, easy on the pocket book. Jim Beam is mighty tasty. If you want to mix it, you don't feel guilty about it, and it stands it OK on the rocks. One thing I will say about it--it is always consistent, and it is smooth.

I always have some on hand when I want something a little less complicated.

Now the 8 year----thats a bourbon of a different story. It has a little more balls to it!

The last couple of months have focused on the staples of a few of our fine KY distilleries (i.e. Maker's Mark and WT101.) With some input from esteemed forum members I thought it a good idea to continue this theme a bit further. This month we're going mainstream with the best-selling boourbon of all time:

Jim Beam While Label.

While this brand typically does not garner a connoisseur's praise, numbers don't lie, and at 5 million cases per year sold, it can't be all that bad. Some may not realize that Jim Beam white has two iterations: the standard 4yo and a longer-aged 7yo. Discussion this month will include both variations and I would like to encourage comparative tastings.

Use this opportunity to put aside pre-conceived notions and re-taste this classic bourbon with an open mind!

:893drillsergeant-thSound off:893drillsergeant-th

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  • 1 month later...

I never participated in this BOTM because I couldn´t get hold of a 350 ml bottle.

More the fool me, as I discovered when I sampled it at a hotel bar in Stockholm this wednesday.

A charming fruity and flowery nose led into a highly individual, sort of, cereal-like palate. The finish was slightly bitter but not wholly devoid of complexity.

Thumbs up from the (north) Swedish jury!

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My tasting notes form last year...i will try to get a sample this week..This is one of my early bourbon tasting notes....i thought it was decent stuff...

Nose: Lots of rye. Gentle and smooth. Mouth: Oh, yum. This is a lot like the JB Rye, but with some added oomph. Not thin like the regular rye seems, but a similar flavor profile. Some oak, but it does not overpower. Still a bit thin, but not to the point of spoiling the experience. Funny, I seem to like some of the cheaper bourbons, and some of the ones that have been less highly rated. Certainly not complex by any stretch, and it does thin out on the finish, which is my main concern with this whiskey.

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