Baker's 7 Year Single Barrel

I haven’t written a review in awhile, so here’s the first of a few recent bottle kills. This batch was barreled in May 2014, and was aged in warehouse CL-P for 7 years and 2 months.

Tasting Notes

• Nose (undiluted): there’s the Beam nuttiness right upfront. It often gets described as peanuts or peanut butter but that’s never been my perception of it. But it’s definitely nutty and “Beam”ish up front. A little time in the glass reveals some vanilla, dark brown sugar, oak, and a touch of rye spice.
• Palate: easy arrival, a little bit lighter bodied than I expected at 107 proof but I would not call it thin by any stretch. There’s more dark brown sugar (molasses? Not quite but almost), cloves, black pepper, and oak.
• Finish: fairly long and drying right at the end. The Beam nuttiness is ever present, with vanilla and oak hanging around as well.

This is a really nice bourbon if you like the Beam profile. Will I buy another bottle? Unlikely. I don’t want to complain about pricing too much here, but I can get Knob Creek 100 proof for half the price or Old Tub 100 proof for less than half the price of Baker’s to satisfy my Beam needs. Sure, Baker’s is a little more complex, but I don’t see myself paying > $100 CAD for something that isn’t barrel proof. Your mileage may vary.

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