Jim Beam Bonded Number 12 Formula

Nose: Oak, honey, vanilla, caramel sauce, popcorn, cherries. An exceptionally fresh and well-crafted nose. It's sweet, approachable, and genuine. Palate: A sweet and mild arrival with brown sugar and soft rye spice. Seed-cake and fennel seed, peanut brittle, a hint of sweet licorice, vanilla, mint, sweet corn, and a little tobacco. The palate has a slightly candy-like quality, but it's not cloying. Finish: Short. Sweet and woody caramel flavors. This is an unusual one, and I haven’t been able to discover much about it. This has been available for a while and has undergone numerous label and bottle shape modifications, but the profile has stayed fairly consistent. It has consistently had a robust, tannic, and raw character with peppery notes. However, this specific version is nothing like that. It presents as soft and honeyed – still with good body, but much easier to drink. If anything, it's more akin to a specific aged release, though this spirit is not that age. The version name is merely a marketing term and it lacks the refinement of that higher-end bottling. This might have been exclusive to a certain market; I'm unsure. I acquired a few bottles a couple of years ago and have just finished the last of them. Sadly, it appears to be no longer obtainable. It was briefly succeeded by the regular modern label version, but that is also now unavailable in this region. I suspect it was discontinued because, as a higher proof whiskey, it had to be exported at 50%, and that was too costly to import considering the excessively high tax rates in Australia. It's a true pity because this was a good mid-range bourbon that was enjoyable on its own and also made an excellent mixer. If you come across a bottle anywhere, don't hesitate to purchase it. “Above Average": 80/100 (3 stars)