BlimpsGo90
Old Tub Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
July 10, 2020 (edited August 19, 2020)
Neat. Neck pour. Expectations are low for this $20 release. Expecting it to be somewhere between a Jim Beam and Old Grand Dad.
Nose is definitely signature Beam with those peanut shells. Very buttery, but I wouldn’t say peanut butter. The butter is in addition to the peanut shells. Hint of strawberry taffy, thats interesting. Decent sweet oak and hint of leather. This is surprisingly well rounded, crisp and approachable. OGD can be hot on approach but this comes off as 90 proof at most.
Fabulous mouth feel, rich and oily. Surprising blast of flavors too. Tons and tons of cinnamon sweetness. Even a hint of cherry up front too. Transitions into signature Beam. Peanuts and vanilla. Cinnamon coming back on the medium legs. Even getting this latent cherry again. Black pepper and spice emerging on subsequent sips in addition to the notes above. Geez and that cinnamon, it’s a cinnamon bomb.
Well damn, this is pretty darn good. I think I like this better than OGD bonded. I would call this the best sub-$30 Beam product. If you are hesitating on this one and you like Beam products, do yourself the favor and grab it. Not as a special release, but as the best $20 you will be able to get in 2020. With Early Times on the out, I think this takes the budget crown while it’s on the shelves.
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@BlimpsGo90 That's literally the comparison I've been hoping to see :) Given the name "Old Tub" and my vague recollection of the story behind it of just throwing leftover stuff in, I wouldn't be surprised if there were high batch variation.
@ContemplativeFox Oh it can’t really compete out of its weight class but would be interesting in a blind flight with Early Times and Wild Turkey 101. I have seen reviews where they call it undrinkable though. Makes me wonder if there are different batches floating around because that’s not the experience I got. I just poured more while I write this and I still dig it for being bargain Jim Beam.
Wow, sounds really good! How does it compare with more premium (I mean, not ultra-premium) bourbons? What price is it performing at?
@MarkDMan I only have Old Grand Dad BiB, so I can’t comment on the Jim Bean BiB. I would put it above OGD bonded if that helps.
@BDanner Been surprised by how divisive this release. I’ve talked to others and it’s like we are describing two different bottles. Wonder if these are batched and inconsistent somehow.
I wondering how it compares to Jim Beam Bonded which I really like. For $25 JBB is a good pick
I may need to re-review this one. Now that it’s been opened for a couple days it seems to have improved. I poured some over a large cube tonight, and there it was. Cherries everywhere. Very enjoyable.