Jim Beam Distiller's Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $22
- 100 Proof
- 5-6 years
- Kentucky

When Jim Beam first released this product, it seemed to be without much fanfare. Rather, it was just a new product from Beam that one day started appearing on shelves. Given that Beam seems to regularly change or add to their line-up, I barely blinked the first time that I saw it, and I was certainly in no rush to grab a bottle.

Then people started reviewing it, and the returns were overwhelmingly positive--at least what I was seeing online. I added it to my ever-evolving list of whiskeys that I wanted to make it a point to try, but I still always seemed to have something else I wanted to grab. And then it started disappearing from shelves.  Despite that the bottle states "Limited Release" right on the front, I guess I didn't take it seriously.  However, I don't believe it was THAT limited, and with just a little bit of effort, despite it now being out of production, I was able to locate a bottle and finally give it a try.

The nose had some of that traditional Jim Beam spice to it, with a nice, rich and spicy mix of cinnamon and amaretto. It also had a sweet bread-like note to it, almost like a pie crust. At times I got a crackery quality, like a good Pilsner. On later pours I was getting a kind of root beer aroma from my glass. The nose was somewhat all over the place, but it was at least interesting and bold.

The flavor was spicy and nutty, but also had a certain level of sweetness to it.  It was like a mix of brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. The nutty notes that came through reminded me of pecans or walnuts, something more on the woody end.

There was also the sweet bread note as well. It created a sort of unfrosted cinnamon roll flavor. At times I also got a sort of cherry-cinnamon flavor, and this was particularly noticeable on the finish, as the cinnamon seemed to linger for quite a while. However, so did that cherry note, and unfortunately on the finish that translated to more of a fake cherry or cherry cough syrup note that was a bit of a turn off.

Aside from that note on the finish, though, I really liked everything else about this bottle. It was bold in flavor, and provided a nice mix of different notes that all complemented each other. All in all, it reminded me sticky buns topped with chopped walnuts -- not too sweet, but carrying those delicious brown sugar, cinnamon and nutty notes throughout. And for the price, this was pretty stellar!

Grade: B+