Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home

Nose (undiluted): Spicy rye, leather, tobacco, subtle oak notes, cedar, salt-water taffy, and toasted peanuts. Over time, vanilla, caramel, mint, and menthol notes emerge. Nose (diluted): A nice blend of the undiluted scents, but much of its bold character is lost, becoming a very pleasant example of the Jim Beam house aroma. Palate (undiluted): A powerful, spicy, and dry initial taste with considerable heat. Notes like cinnamon, dill, clove, and sour cherry are detectable, but the intense oak tannins overwhelm any subtlety. This palate is extremely dry, bitter, and hot, almost like a parody. Palate (diluted): A much smoother initial taste, still spicy and dry, but the heat is reduced, making it far more inviting. Most importantly, the palate opens up and develops, clearly revealing dark fruit, brown sugar, toffee, espresso, and an excellent chewy woodiness. Overall, water provides much-needed balance and allows the whiskey's inherent qualities to shine, and the texture is significantly improved. Finish (undiluted): Long. Dominated by hot, bitter spices that eventually fade. Finish (diluted): Still long, but the bitter notes are now balanced by just the right amount of sweetness. A distinct dark cherry and chestnut wood flavor is present in the aftertaste. Initially, there's a strong ethanol scent when poured neat; letting it rest for 10 minutes makes it more approachable. It's assertive but a bit reserved, somewhat like dry cask-strength Speysiders I've smelled. Overall, however, it offered a very good aroma. The palate, however, leaves much to be desired. The initial taste was promising but quickly took a turn for the worse in its development, seeming to collapse into a blend of bitterness. Frankly, I found it almost undrinkable. However, generous dilution completely transformed the palate, and the spirit can easily handle water without issue. I'm sure more experienced bourbon drinkers would enjoy the undiluted palate, but for me, it was out of control and required the tempering effect of water, which I found made it much more refined. If I were rating this neat, I'd give it 2 stars and consider it a failure, but with water, it's a 4-star dram, so I'm averaging them out to 3. Many thanks to a friend for the tasting sample. "Above Average": 80/100 (3 stars)

Chapter 2 was excellent. Chapter 3 is a 122.8 proof blend of cask strength versions of Jim Beam's previous Small Batch Series: Baker's, Basil Hayden's, Booker's, and Knob Creek. They were aged 12, 9, 11, and 9 years, respectively. Bottled at 122.6 proof. Let's explore. Aroma: Apricot and toffee, with hints of leather and cocoa. Almond, tobacco smoke, caramel, and gala apple. Ginger and orange peel. Carrot cake. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and oak. A well-rounded spice medley. Quite pleasant. Taste: Peanut brittle, tobacco smoke, almond, and walnut. A dry, woody, oaky note. Apricot, toffee, vanilla, and orange peel. Sawdust, clove, nutmeg. Black pepper and cinnamon. Caramel and Gala apple. Intense butterscotch. Slightly drying but enjoyable nonetheless. Great once more. Finish: Orange citrus/orange peel. Cocoa and caramel. Some sawdust. Clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and strong oak. The spices hit hard. A long finish, as expected at 122.6 proof. This is an amplified version of the old school JB Small Batch Series. In every way. It's a superb example of the core Jim Beam spirit, delivering power like a heavyweight boxer with the finesse of a featherweight. Fantastic spirit. I acquired this late in the process; I actually found Chapter 4 before I could get my hands on this. I waited too long, which added an extra $40 to my expense. I had months to buy it for $100 and ended up paying $140 for the bottle. Considering that, I won't criticize this bottle for the increased cost. 4.5/5. Jim Beam truly excels at 50% ABV and above. This bottling exemplifies that fact as well as any other.

Another weekend on lockdown. Family movie time and some whiskey. This comes to me from a longtime whisky pal across the other side of the Hudson. The nose is dense with a mix of aromas found in single barrel bourbons. Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, dill spices. Sweetness of butterscotch, licorice, peanut brittle, cherries seep through the spice. All of this is encased with oak wood. The initial sip is a blast of spice and wood and lidocaine. Subsequent sips become easier to discern flavors and the palate acclimates. Dominated by wood spices and tannins, whisps of vanilla, cherry NyQuil, ground cinnamon, cloves and dill. The cherry NyQuil flavor remains on the palate with a wooden dryness, spearmint that with a timeless end. A healthy dose of water softens the spicy edge and the buried sweetness is unveiled. Dark brown sugar, caramel, coffee, and bitter dark chocolate. A potent whisky that is better developed and formed with the addition of water. However, overall, the whiskey seems very restricted, bound and wanting to be more and find itself. Not a bad dram, but I was anticipating more from a single barrel whiskey. A better experience can be had with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof or Four Roses Single Barrel. Stay well. Stay safe. [84/100][Tasted: 3/4/20]

I couldn’t disagree more with the distiller reviewer here. Describing this as smoky and fruity with no structure is extremely puzzling to me. I get the beam peanut brittle, chai tea spice, cinnamon, honey, and clove on the nose. The proof is definitely apparent but isn't distracting or overwhelming. The palate offers a kick of rye spice up front quickly followed by a sweetness of brown sugar and caramel to balance out the sip. The finish has hints of bananas foster, vanilla icing and creme brûlée. While I think there are some batches of bookers and KC 14-15 store picks that are marginally better than this, an 81 ranking is way off and the description of smokiness and floral notes perplex me even further. There is some rye spice in here but I just don’t even come close to those notes here. I’d love for another reviewer to restate this as I believe it is a quality offering and worth $89-99 if you enjoy bakers/bookers beam in general

The bourbon has a rich amber color with a caramel tone and leaves the glass coated with a thick, distinct layer of oils. The aroma starts with buttered toast balanced by ripe fruit, followed by vanilla and caramel, all with an underlying oakiness and inviting richness. The initial taste is dry yet chewy, with a richness that coats the mouth along with oak, filling it with butter, vanilla, caramel, and a wonderful creaminess. The fruitiness is subtler, present in the background to complete the profile. The finish is moderately long, with lingering oakiness and richness that keeps the mouth feeling chewy, while a rye spice emerges as the rest of the palate fades. A truly wonderful bourbon experience.

Wow. This is an excellent serving. I'm drinking it at a bar right after Elmer T. Lee and I'm astonished. It's clearly a higher proof, but I anticipated something less potent. It shares the oakiness and cereal/oatmeal notes of OE7 or Eagle Rare Single Barrel, but with a much better taste and finish. I use the rating system below. The distiller uses a 5-point scale, and I use a 10-point scale, but I'm sure you're not too inebriated to figure that out! 1. Undrinkable - So bad I discarded it. 2. Poor - I would avoid drinking it. 3. Bad - Contains several flaws. 4. Below average - Not terrible, but there are many alternatives I'd prefer. 5. Good - Simply average. 6. Very Good - Better than average. 7. Great - Significantly above average. 8. Excellent - In its own class. 9. Incredible - A personal favorite of all time. 10. Perfect