Little Book Chapter 6: To the Finish

Bottles 2 through 5 were all excellent for me. I can't recall my favorite, but perhaps I'll revisit this later to see how the sixth installment compares. I won't go into detail about the barrel staves, but the core idea is stave experimentation combining four 4-year-old malt whiskies with a 5-year-old bourbon. Aroma: Sawdust, pipe smoke, rye spice (curious, as rye should be very minimal in this mix.) Kettle corn. Baked apple. Dried apricot. Almond. Green apple Jolly Rancher and Cinnamon Apple Jacks. Nail polish. Pumpkin spice. Malt, toffee, vanilla, and honey. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. A multitude of notes, but some don't quite harmonize. It's excessively sweet, but maybe it needs time to settle. Taste: Cherry. Cola. Caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, and fudge. Maple bacon. Tangy BBQ sauce. Green Apple Jolly Rancher. Peach and sweet tea. Spearmint and wintergreen. Dried apricot. Some plum, date, fig, and raisin. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Cocoa, black tea, pipe smoke. Caramel, toffee, malt, fudge, vanilla. Cinnamon Apple Jacks. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. An extremely long finish. I can confidently state this was the least impressive installment of the Little Book line, excluding 1 and 7 which I haven't tried. It seems young. Unintegrated. Overly sweet at times. This is also the first malt-forward expression I've had from Beam, and it hasn't yet become their specialty. I realize it sounds like I'm criticizing this one heavily. It's actually a rather good whiskey. The variety of notes kept me engaged and made for an interesting experience. The warmth was appropriate and not off-putting. There were many positive qualities to note here. I mentioned earlier I'd check how this compares to 2-5. No need. I know those were all rated 4 stars or higher. I'm keeping this at 3.5 stars. Revisiting with a second bottle about a year and a half later. Identical profile, vastly different experience. This is because the profile is now cohesive. It felt like the previous bottle never opened up, and this one has flourished despite being open for less time before review. It's quite unusual to see such a significant difference between two bottles from a limited release. This specific review rates it a 4.5. I'll average the two reviews at 4.0 and will likely need a decider bottle if I can find another.

This Little Book Chapter 6 combines: 4-year-old Malt Whiskey Aged with Cherrywood Staves 4-year-old Malt Whiskey Aged in Applewood Smoked Barrels 4-year-old Malt Whiskey Aged in Hickory Smoked Barrels 4-year-old Malt Whiskey Aged with Maplewood Staves 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon I'm not sure if it's just me, but the ages don't seem impressive enough to warrant the $125 MSRP they appear to be priced at. Fortunately, a friend provided me with a sample, allowing me to discover it for myself. The aroma begins with young acetone, maraschino cherries, and burning hickory, followed by cocoa-dusted stale almond cookies, then Granny Smith apples, dried apricots, and lemon peel, leading to subtle baking spices with a moderate alcohol sting. The palate offers a medium body, starting with smooth orchard fruits and espresso, quickly shifting to a smoky, bitter spice that gradually subsides into mineral-like notes and fresh pipe tobacco, then Granny Smith apples, lemon-scented cleaner, and finally subtle baking spices with a moderate alcohol burn. The finish is medium in length, featuring burnt pine cones, used espresso grounds, lemon cleaner, tart cherries, mineral tones, and pipe tobacco. Absolutely not! This is genuinely terrible and tastes like a new craft distillery that's experimenting and struggling. The nose has a slight harshness, tart fruits, mild smoke, and stale sweetness, offering a hint of promise on the palate, which begins sweet with a touch of bitterness before overwhelming my taste buds with a mini forest fire of heat and ashy char. It then fades to tart fruits and metallic notes, concluding with what I can only imagine is the wrath of a furious Smokey Bear directed at smokers in a forest – shoving burnt pine cone ashes, forest dirt, and hand sanitizer down their throats. This definitely doesn't justify the $125+ price tag for me. It seems it would only sell at that price due to the hype from previous Little Book releases. Hopefully, that influence will lessen if Beam continues releasing young blends at premium prices.

Smell: Prunes, figs, dates, tea, tart cherry Taste: Sweet, spicy, with a slight bitterness. I can't quite identify the specific flavors. Tea? Pepper? Are more figs present from the smell? There's definitely a good amount of "smokiness" — which I enjoy in my bourbon. Finish: Long, spicy, a warming sensation in the chest. This is not an ordinary Bourbon. It distinguishes itself from many others I've sampled — for better or worse. I suppose you could describe it as "complex". I've observed this priced at $300+ on secondary market websites. It's very good, but I would never pay that much for any bottle. Fortunately, this was a Christmas gift purchased at the suggested retail price — which I believe is reasonable. 1/29/23: Licorice!

Bright and vibrant, with a lightly tarnished brass hue. The aroma is rich with layers of smoke. It's not solely smoke, nor completely overpowering, though. Beneath the smoke, there are definite hints of apple hand pies, ripe stone fruit, and something earthy/herbal. It has loosened up slightly with a few drops of water, yet maintains a good amount of the heat that arises shortly after a sip and lingers well into the finish. There's a subtle and wonderful malt character that encourages another taste. It's truly a quality product and enjoyable... the aroma and flavor profile just aren't what I'm seeking when I'm ready to spend the money.

Very mild aroma. I struggled to identify the scent. I detect an apple note, but finding much else is difficult. Perhaps a hint of raisin. Absolutely no ethanol, which is impressive for a 117 proof spirit. The taste is very good, but it feels incomplete and detracts from what could have been an outstanding bottle, bringing it down to very good. I had trouble distinguishing specific flavors on the palate. I have no regrets about the purchase and will taste it again soon. The finish is outstanding…warming and long. A subtle tea note comes through.

To begin, I'll state that Freddie Noe's tasting notes on the bottle were quite accurate. The aroma is intriguing with malt and char, but an overpowering sweetness. It reminds me of a very robust Irish whiskey. On the palate, it's smooth, rich, and has sweet caramel with just the right amount of spice and char. The finish is long and warming. It drinks like an aged whiskey. As I mentioned regarding the aroma, I believe this characteristic carries through to the palate and finish, similar to a very bold Irish whiskey.