Little Book Chapter 5: The Invitation

Nose: grain forward. Slight mint and fig with marshmallow. Palette: wow this is good. Sweet with orange marmalade and dark cherry, favoring cherry. Some bright notes from the grain are followed by more complex fruits and pepper spice in the back. The finish is long with cereal that fades to cherry and oak.

Nose: maple syrup and cherries. Palate: more maple, oak, a bit of heat. Finish: more maple, more heat, very long.

Seeing Chapter 6 popping up on shelves, I figure now is as good a time as any to review Chapter 5. I missed Chapter 1, but loved 2-4. Chapter 5 a blend of four Kentucky whiskies: -2 year old bourbon -3 year old rye malt -5 year old bourbon -15 year old bourbon At 58.4%, I believe this is one of the lower ABV chapters. Let’s get into it. Nose: Big-time peanut brittle, cocoa, and brown sugar. Caramel, vanilla, and almond. Cherry, cola, and orange rind. Black tea and cigar smoke. Sawdust. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Chewy caramel and cacao nibs. Peanut brittle and almond. Toffee, vanilla, cola, and carrot cake. Cocoa. Peanut butter. Dried apricot. Woody/sawdust notes. Black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and heaps of oak. Finish: Cherry. Walnut, chestnut, cashew, peanut brittle, and almond. Cocoa and caramel. Golden raisin. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Long finish. This marks another superb chapter in the story of Little Book. Oof. That’s corny. Speaking of which, this essentially drinks like a high-rye Booker’s. Bourbon-forward with some of those rye-malt notes adding to an already great profile. Chapters 2-4 were all great whiskies, but to be fair to them, they were all cheaper than this one. Overall, I’d say this pulls its weight in the VFM department at $150. Specifically, the nose and finish are out of this world. Well done, Jim Beam. 5/5.

Delish.