Sunday Evening Review

Hiding in plain site is a saying that really applies to whiskey drinkers. How many times have you tasted a whiskey that was outstanding, and it wasn’t a unicorn or overly expensive and could be grabbed at any liquor store? Every large distillery that has several brands has a few labels that just seem to fade into the background for the buying public. One of those is Baker’s for Jim Beam. There is obviously all the Jim Beam named products, Knob Creek and then Booker’s that gets a ton of hype, but Baker’s seems to be one that doesn’t get much love. Let’s see if it something you should go get or should it stay faded from view…or purchase.

Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.

NAME – Baker’s Bourbon 7 Year Single Barrel

PROOF – 107

AGE – 7 years but that is the youngest it can be. Look on the neck label for the exact age for each bottle

COLOR – rose gold (1.4 tawny on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

NOSE – Cinnamon sprinkled on a Granny Smith apple, caramel, vanilla, and toasted pecans

TASTE – Cinnamon vanilla whip cream, peanut brittle, rye spice, and aged oak

FINISH – I would call this a long finish. The cinnamon just hangs on and on. There is the aged oak and some cigar tobacco, but the cinnamon is what will be noticed the most.

REVIEW – For a $60 single barrel with a 107 proof point and age stated at 7 years, this is one that should be on your shelf. This has a great balance between spice and sweetness. The only thing missing is fruit notes as I picked up none. The overall experience is really good and the finish could almost have a birthday. Very long and enjoyable finish.

FINAL COMMENTS – One of the reasons for being out of the purview of whiskey drinkers in Ohio is available. Based on OHLQ the only places are in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Marietta and there may be a half dozen that actually have it. Supply would help bring this brand forward more in Ohio.

Baker’s is named after Jim Beam’s grand-nephew that acted different than most people working at a distillery in Kentucky. He was a motorcycle driving with a black leather jacket and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. When he retired, Booker Noe created this brand to honor Baker “inspired by his passion for bourbon and maverick nature.”