Feels like forever since I’ve done a review. Crazy time of the year with the kids and other family events, not much time for whisky. Decided to try to get back into it with one of the ubiquitous Jim Beam expressions out there, Double Oak. This is the standard Beam, aged in virgin oak barrels of course, but then it is finished in fresh virgin oak. Bottled at 43% ABV, chill filtered and natural color of burnt orange. The nose starts with stale, dusty peanuts, sharp oak and vanilla. Peanut brittle, toffee, graham crackers, gingerbread, rye spice, mint and a touch of dill. It’s also slightly fruity with grape jelly, chocolate oranges, baked apples, cherry cough syrup and raspberries. Cinnamon, toasted marshmallows, candy corn and some barrel char. The nose is sort of all over the place, but never strays too far from the peanut notes. The palate is musty oak, rye, peanuts, peanut brittle and vanilla. Red berries, apple skins and orange peel as far as any fruitiness goes. Barrel char and some roasted corn. Not deep at all, but a decent base of flavors. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is a bit thin and tongue coating. The finish is medium short, oak, vanilla, peanuts and rye. Not a bad bourbon, but not that good either. Until the bottle was good and oxidized (about 80% gone), everything felt stale and musty. Seems like a bourbon engineered to appeal to a large consumer base and offend very few. I won’t say that it appealed to me, nor will I say that it offended me, but I won’t be buying it again as the Extra Aged version is superior to this for the same price of around $25. A solid 3. Cheers