Jim Beam Whiskey Tasting
Jim Beam Whiskey Tasting
This tasting came out of the blue, we did plan a dinner party which Jim and Jacqueline hosted and our guests for the evening were, Nicola and Scott (a Whisky Boy who is also Jim’s daughter and her husband Scott ) together with Nicola and Scott’s neighbours James and Lee Winsor.
The meal was well planned we had a starter of scallops sitting on a bed of Stornoway black pudding and toasted bread with a side salad, this was followed by the main course of Fillet of beef Wellington with a selection of fresh vegetables and to finish we had cheese and oatcakes with coffee and liqueurs. there was lashings of wine throughout both white and red.
Prior to the meal, Jim and Jacqueline received our guests who arrived laden with a cheese selection, wine and chocolates, but on this occasion Nicola brought in a bottle of Jim Beam and as our lead story was Bourbon Whiskey she decided to take the opportunity of having a tasting with four of us commenting.
So the tasters for this evening are Jim and Nicola (two of the Whisky Boys) plus Scott and James.
Tonight’s tasting was to be:-
Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, White Label, 40% Alc/vol., Aged 4 Years.
Distilled and bottled by,
Jim B Beam Distilling Co.
Beam,
Clermont,
Frankfort,
Kentucky,
U.S.A.
Website: www.jimbeam.com
Owners,
Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Inc,
Deerfield,
IL,
U.S.A.
Website: www.beamglobal.com
As you would expect Jim Beam is a Bourbon Whiskey from the U.S.A. and is the best selling Bourbon in the world.
The Distillery was founded at the end of the 18th century and has been family run since then. The name Jim Bean came after prohibition in the early 1930’s and is named after James B Beam who rebuilt the business.
You only have to look at the brands that are owned by Beam Global to see the vast range of well known and quality products. We again would recommend all of our readers to visit the websites above where you can gain a lot of knowledge about the birth and growth of Bourbon and how the process differs from say Scotch Distillation.
Let the tasting begin.
Colour… Amber with a orange tinge.
Jim’s tasting
Nose…Vanilla from the oak and sweet toffee.
Taste…sweet spice and honeyed vanilla, puff candy and old fashioned chocolate caramels.
Finish…Medium length a lot of smooth sweetness and a little tingle on the lips
Score…2.5 corks
Nicola’s tasting
Nose…Butterscotch with a heavy oakiness.
Taste…Sweet sherry overtones, smooth and burnt oak showing, brown sugar.
Finish…Light, medium not linger to long.
Score…2 corks
Scott’s tasting
Nose…Toffee and candy floss.
Taste…The outer covering of a toffee apple with a lovely warmth at the back of the throat.
Finish…Very pleasant with no harshness.
Score…2.5 corks
James’s tasting
Nose…Seville oranges and windolene.
Taste…very smooth burnt toffee with some oak in there.
Finish…Medium finish, smooth with no harshness or bitterness showing here.
Score…2 corks
That was our first venture into the world of Bourbon and is went down well. This tasting has made us feel there must be some fabulous Bourbons out there, we have to get into some of the older and longer matured drams, we may have to taste many a Bourbon to find one that could score 3 to 3.5 corks. This is why the Whisky Boys have to go out there and taste, taste and taste again, all in the search for the grandest of grand drams.
There are many distillers of Bourbon and all supermarkets do carry 3/4 different producers and in some cases they have their own label, i.e. Sainsbury’s.
So as always if you happen to by a bottle remember to tell them the Whisky Boys sent you, happy dramming.
