Date barreled: 01-2017 Barrel age: 7-YRS 6-MOS Serial no. 000114807 Warehouse: CL-3 I think Jim Beam is one of the most tourist-friendly distilleries on the market, but there are still enough engaging and unique parts of it that seem to drive me to return a couple times each year. This time around, I was delighted to see a huge selection and plenty of stock, but considering my actual shelf space is running low, I decided only on this. I now realize that they charged nearly $20 lower than MSRP, which is insane and makes me sad to remember the absolute capitalist nightmare that liquor stores are. The last time I had Baker's, it was in the previous wine bottle and with the old label, so I imagine it's been at least half a decade. Although I don't quite understand where the differences lie between this and many other Jim Beam products that seem far too similar on paper, what I do remember is that old Baker's was easily one of the worst bourbons I have ever had. Considering Jim Beam isn't very fond of change, I sure hope the new mash bill makes up for that, since the proof and age are basically the exact same. The color appears golden brown and muscat, with nothing too special, other than the meniscus looking very watery. The nose is definitely prominent with sweet rye, combining cinnamon and a general herbaceous with plenty of natural oak sugar. The proof seems just right, allowing an elevation of the rye's spiciness without burning out the nostrils. The rye is also obvious with the first sips, and seems to split between an oily citrus and fruity combo on the tongue, as well as quite the hot, minty burn that digs into the gums. Repeat sips really start to get hot, but it remains in the gum line and fades rather quickly from the tongue and throat. The flavor continues to dominate with the rye, but the age is just enough to sand off the more powerful edges with a touch of caramel and overall sweetness. The finish is still quite hot, with a bit of fake sweetener flavor that lingers around, unfortunately a little too long. Although somewhat unremarkable after continued drinking, the high rye yield of this mash bill definitely delivers for the spicy rye lovers, and it's miles above what I had long ago. I'm happy that this line of single barrel products actually puts barrel info on the label, as opposed to Knob Creek, which I would argue is Jim Beam's most popular single barrel product line. In any case, this is really a good score for the price I got it, but not quite unique enough for MSRP. This is flexible and does put me more at ease about the idea of trying the classic Baker's again, especially since the barrel used may have just been a flop all that time ago.