Jim Beam Black Label Extra-Aged

Solid.

Pleasantly surprising. Toasted oak, vanilla, and caramel on the nose. Warm spice, smoke, and leather on the front, with caramel and vanilla lingering all the way through to the finish.

Jim Beam Extra Aged is yet another bourbon that lost its age statement (was 8 years) in recent times, an unfortunate trend in the bourbon world right now. So where does this Beam Black fit in with existing Beam expressions? Let's find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. On the nose, a nice lightly sweet caramel with a bit of vanilla frosting and an oaky backdrop. On the palate, somewhat thin mouthfeel, starts lightly sweet but quickly changes over to a bitter tart. More caramel and vanilla with a bit deeper character than you expect from the lower end Beams, and accented by a bit more oaky char than usual also. Very smooth, with just a little spice and heat. At times I seem to detect a light fruity note but it's not dominate by any means. Probably a good place to start for beginners in the bourbon world or those looking for a nice smooth sip to ease into a session. Finish is somewhat long actually, producing lingering vanilla, some honey, and nice oaky smoky char. The enhanced smoky char is the best part of the sip for me. Overall, a fairly basic Beam bourbon but the extra aging, as is typical of longer aged bourbon, produces a bit more character and depth of flavor. I'd put the Black certainly well above White label and Repeal Batch and on par with Double Oak, but a bit below Devil's Cut (stronger oaky character I prefer), Bonded (stronger Beam peanut funk), and well below Distiller's Cut (just delicious and best Beam expression for the $). So Black falls about mid pack in the Beam bourbon portfolio for me. It's far from bad, just not their very best either. It's a classic bourbon profile really, with caramel, vanilla, and smokiness in spades, but not a whole lot more. It lacks complexity and enhanced spicy fruity or floral notes, but is super smooth and easy to pick apart the classic bourbon profile. I feel like the 43% ABV is hurting this one a bit. Kicked up to 47-50% I think would really bring out the bit of extra aging and take the flavors up a notch. Not bad, but go for Distiller's Cut if budget allows, as it offers so much more feel, flavor, and kick. Cheers!

Smoky, sweet, vanilla. a little burn but in a good way

Tastes nice, but where’s the spice? No slap in the face here, just your average joe, smooth and drinkable. Not much to linger on here, fades fast. I expected more.