Jim Beam Signature Craft (Soft Red Wheat 11yo)

Jim Beam Signature Craft (Soft Red Wheat 11yo)

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber red
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut, vanilla, candle wax, pineapples, butterscotch, caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, airy, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, fresh baked bread, butterscotch, black tea, oatcake. 
Finish: Medium. Butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, hints of pineapples. 

Comments: 

Part of the Harvest Bourbon Collection, a series of whiskies made with unusual and interesting mashbills. This one is all wheat, red wheat at that. It's not bourbon-y at all, instead it's got plenty of coconut, and pineapples, allied to a tangy saltiness. Enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jim Beam Double Oak

Jim Beam Double Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Nutmeg, sandalwood, butterscotch, caramel, honey, bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, white grapes, bananas, honey, cardamom. 
Finish: Medium. Black tea, lemon juice, cardamom, white grapes. 

Comments: 

A very sweet, spicy bourbon, plenty of bananas. Also fruity estery notes of white grapes. Lots of sugar. Quite enjoyable.

Verdict:

I like this.

Old Granddad, Bottled in Bond

Old Granddad, Bottled in Bond

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Orange
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cream, blackcurrant cordial, strawberries, hints of brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, turns syrupy, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Bananas, blackcurrant cordial, brown paper, prunes, hints of orange peel . 
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, white pepper, prunes, orange peel. 

Comments: 

A slightly unusual bourbon, the strength and the depth of flavour means that the usually omnipresent brown paper notes are relegated to the background. Reminds me of Ribena with vodka... a little bit, anyway. Good spicy finish, when the brown paper comes whooshing back.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jim Beam Green Label

Jim Beam Green Label

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Orange amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, cream. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, turns watery, slightly fizzy. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Bananas, cinnamon, honey, photocopy paper, ink, burnt sugar. 
Finish: Short. Ink, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg. 

Comments: 

Really bold, quite simple bourbon, surprisingly not very bananary. I don't mean simple negatively; it's just not that complex, the flavour notes are strong and obvious. There's an underlying bitter current here, burnt sugar, ink, photocopy paper, slightly chemical notes. Still, rather tasty.

Verdict:

I like this.

Booker's True Barrel Bourbon

Booker's True Barrel Bourbon

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Copper orange
64% ABV
Dram

Nose: Prunes, ginger, raisins, apples, toffee, hints of roses. With water, vanilla, cream crackers, chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, thickens slightly, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Prunes, raisins, dried apple rings, toffee, orange peel, hints of chillies. With water, slightly bitter, vanilla, dark chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Cream crackers, raisins, ginger, orange peel.

Comments:

Oof! The angels didn't take much of this one, or perhaps they didn't get a chance. It's 6 to 8 years old, which means they either have poor records or it's a blend of a couple of barrels. It's fruity and slightly rancio, with a dry biscuity finish With water it opens up, becomes bitter, reminds me of a really good single estate dark chocolate, perhaps from Latin America. There's not much of this bourbon around, and I understand why.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Jim Beam Black 8 yo

Jim Beam Black 8 yo

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconuts, vanilla, honey, bananas, caramel, cotton candy, hints of bubble gum.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slick, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Coconuts, vanilla, bananas, caramel, lemon juice, hints of brown paper, hints of bubble gum.
Finish: Long. Lemon juice, brown paper, bananas, coconuts.

Comments:

Not as much banana as I'm used to in my bourbon, much more coconut. Quite light, and I had to work hard to find the flavours. This whisky is sweet, on a number of different levels, and rewards some introspection.

Verdict:

I like this.

Knob Creek 9 yo

Knob Creek 9 yo

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Kentucky
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, bananas, honey, melons, vanilla, hints of peaches. With water, white grapes, more peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, hot.
Tasting: Sweet. Chillies, bananas, honey, melons, peaches, hints of toffee, hints of golden syrup. With water, white grapes, corn syrup, more peaches.
Finish: Long. Brown paper, chillies, toffee, melons.

Comments:

Bourbons tend, to my palate, to be very estery, with loads of banana and brown paper flavours. There's a lot of that in this one, but there's something more. Melon flavours are esters too, and those are present in great quantity here. The bourbon is sweet, with an engaging spicy hint on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this.