My dad was Jim Beam guy; used to buy White Label by the handle. He'd fix himself a bourbon and water (or two, or three...) every evening, and on hot country Texas afternoons, he and my Mema would sit out on her porch and enjoy a cool-me-down iced bourbon and water. Since I couldn't partake, I usually got put on drink-runner duty, which by middle school really meant I was refreshing their glasses and sneaking a few sips of my own...so suffice it to say the Jim Beam flavor profile is one I've got in my bones, and for years I just assumed was what all bourbon tastes like - sweet caramel and vanilla, with some spice and that je ne sais quiois earthy funk. That said, the basic bottling is also thin, young, and a little uninspiring to the more developed palate...but Bonded solves those problems with extra aging and being bottled at a higher proof. This is what Beam can be - a sweet-earthy nose of vanilla, caramel, and forest floor in autumn, with a sparky, punchy palate that conjures up Red Hots candy, a milk chocolate-and-caramel covered vanilla cookie, yeasty bread, and a bit of petrichor and old leaves. At $20 a bottle, this is a great value find and a versatile workhorse bourbon that sips fine on its own, but has enough backbone to work well on ice or in a cocktail.