It's conceivable that I might finally be coming around to that funky Beam yeast. Or maybe the intrinsic quality here is good enough otherwise that I'm willing to tolerate it. Neither the strongest (Booker's) nor the weakest (Basil Hayden's) of the Beam Small Batch collection, Baker's sometimes feels like an afterthought. But it's a pretty tasty afterthought. Nose of honey, caramel, leather, tobacco, vanilla, char, and some caramel corn/nut-mix hybrid. Dark, dried fruits, maple sap, even, and a hint of cinnamon. Surprisingly mellow at full proof (hot, but not blinding), there's a nice initial fruitiness (red berries?) on the taste, followed by caramel corn, serious barrel char, some nuttiness, and dry vanilla. Tobacco and leather. More cinnamon, but also some brining spice (caraway? anise?). The weakness here is the long, dry finish (almost like licking burnt timber) that leans a bit yeasty and sour. All told, it's sweeter and richer than Knob Creek, but lacks the flavour punch of Booker's. Given the comparatively steep price, I'd ultimately prefer Booker's, and that finish needs some work--but it's still a nice, relaxing glass of bourbon.