Jim Beam Black

Name (full): Jim Beam Black Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aged 8 Years

Proof: 86

Price: $16.90 @ Williams County State Store, Bryan OH.

Bottle: Same as the Jim Beam White Bottle, a tall rectangular bottle with short ribbed neck. Black Label w/ white and bronzed print. The top line reads "the worlds finest bourbon". there is also a red print facsimile of a wax seal bearing a white B front and center on the label. Distilled and bottled at the James B. Beam Distilling Co.

Color: Like the brown of a beer bottle with a deep red tinge. Kinda what bourbon in the movies looks like.

Nose: Sweet and Spicy at the same time (my GF said it smelled quite distinctly of Catsup to her), then an almost tangible burnt sugar/Charcoal,then white pepper fading into a Menthol/Medicinal smell.

Taste: mint , dark cherry, peaches. Not nearly as complex as the nose might imply.

Finish:Grainy and narrow, quite short sharply rye though.

Mouth feel: Menthol, thin, shallow, furry, chewy (like chewing the head of a flower).


Conclusions: I think that to me, the Jim Beam marketing guys are their own downfall. The fact that the brand is SOOOOOOOOO omnipresent seems to raise unreasonable expectations about the products in my mind (if so many people like this stuff than it must be good!!!). But I just don't. I dunno why, I just don't. Granted, this black label offering is lightyears ahead of the White Shite, but its just good to me. Not Great, not really good, just good. I'm still trying to keep an open mind about Knob Creek but I have tried Jim Green White & Black, and just recently Basil Haydens & Bakers, and have been underwhelmed by them all. Maybe there is an underlying distillery character that i don't like, but they never seem to live up to the hype.



overall a "good" bourbon, but not worth the money.


TomC