Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon

N: Honey, caramel, and mint mixed with alcohol. Some grassy notes out of a Neat glass, but feel like I'm trying too hard at this point: it's mostly mint and booze. P: Lots of corn, then lots of wood. Super sweet and heavy on the tongue with that bourbon staple caramel-vanilla taste, then whiplash to a burning black licorice and biting tannin finish. And it lands hot too - plenty of alcohol burn. There's no balance here. The Evan Williams White Label is head and shoulders above and a few bucks cheaper. And if you're willing to spend more, bonded bourbons can be vastly more interesting and nuanced than this (e.g. Heaven Hill, George Dickell).

How about a casual side-by-side whiskey tasting for Labor Day fun? Here's a match-up I think a LOT of folks are wondering about: Old Tub bottled-in-bond and Jim Beam bottled-in-bond! Old Tub, as you probably know, is a special release in the same vein as Distiller's Cut (and I"m a fan of that release). Both of these are 100 proof, bottled-in-bond (minimum 4 years old), from the same mashbill. Likely the only difference other than the label and bottle shape is the non-chill-filtered natue of the Old Tub. For those of you unfamiliar with it, chill filtering is a method in whisky making for removing residue. In chill filtering, whisky is cooled to between −10 and 4 °C (14 and 39 °F), often roughly 0 °C (32 °F), and passed through a fine adsorption filter. This is done mostly for cosmetic reasons – to remove cloudiness – rather than to improve taste or consistency. Some whiskey afficianados believe the filtering process can affect flavor by removing conjoiners and other large molecules that impact our perceptions of flavor. Starting with appearance - there's no way to tell the difference. These are visually identical. On a swirl the JBbib has slightly less sheeting and tears - perhaps showing that it's a touch thinner. Keep in mind, both are identical proof. On the palate tasted neat from a glencairn the Old Tub has a slight shot of caramel, a bit of dry peanut shells, some sweet vanilla, and a short, clean ginger/cinnamon finish. There' just the slightest hint of clove after the swallow and a short peppery tingle. It's nice, but not serious. I like it for a lot of casual applications. The Jim Beam Bottled-in-bond expression has a slightly thinner nose (maybe, not sure I could tell blind) and a slightly thinner, drier, hotter taste profile. It's like the caramel is toned down a semi-stop and the ginger is brought up. I've had a lot of this expression. It's a "go to" for casual on-the-rocks after work sipping. Tasted with a couple drops of water (literally, drops) brings forward the sweetness in both drams, but the JBbib benefits. When a drop is introduced into whiskey it pushes oils and alcohol to the surface, sometimes intensifying the flavor. Adding more water and swirling does the opposite and dilutes the proof. Adding a drop to either of these brings forward the sweetness added by the oak - and the bottled in bond expression needs that just a bit more. I think I could tell these apart in a blind tasting and maybe I'll do that later on. Right now I'm calling it this way... JBbib is $19.99 on sale, $22.99 regular price. OT is running about $23.99 in the Tampa market. They are both very solid bourbons. I like the Old Tub a little better, but I won't pay a 20% premium for it. They are nearly identical save for the chill filtering. What I've learned here is that chill filtering, as I've suspected, can thin out a drink and make it a bit drier and less sweet and rich. But it's a pretty subtle effect and one worth tasting for on your own. The way I rate whiskey is by a 5 point scale where a 1 is a trash drain pour, and a 5 is a perfect dram. Any competent, average whiskey (or whisky) should place 2.5 at the peak of the bell curve. Both of these are solid at 2.75, but neither "blows away" the other. In fact, I think most drinkers won't be able to tell the difference unless there's a side-by-side tasting like this.