The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
Baker’s Single Barrel
(Credit: Beam-Suntory)
Ever since Jim Beam took Knob Creek from its classic 9 year old to an NAS bourbon in 2016 (a move they are slated to reverse next year), I’ve thought of Baker’s as the great sleeper of Beam’s line-up, because it was the last unchanged whiskey in the seminal Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. Introduced in the 1990s, three of that set of four whiskeys are now staples with bourbon enthusiasts everywhere, and popular demand coupled to the pressure of sales strategies changed those three.
First Basil Hayden, the light-bodied high rye bourbon of the set, lost it’s age statement. Then Knob Creek followed a few years later, losing its age statement as well. Finally, batches of the ballsy Booker’s received individual identities, while the age of a typical batch is now closer to the six years than to eight. That left only Baker’s in its original state: 7 years old, bottled at 107 proof. This was undoubtedly because the expression remained overlooked by the public at large, regularly purchased only by knowledgeable enthusiasts, writers and bourbon-loving Kentuckians (I check the latter two boxes).
Now the time has come for Baker’s to change as well, but that change is arguably a step forward rather than backward: Jim Beam is making Baker’s a single barrel, while retaining the age statement and the proof. So, brace yourselves: Baker’s may remain reasonably priced, but I somehow doubt it will remain easy to acquire for long, so it won’t be the kind of thing people like me put on “overlooked whiskeys you should rush out and buy” lists.
The Bourbon
As a single barrel, one should expect some variability in Baker’s. However, as a revamping of the original Baker’s, some things are constant. Beyond being 107 proof and 7 years old, the whiskey is drawn from Beam’s low rye bourbon stocks and not aged in any particular warehouse or floor. Barrels for Baker’s were chosen to create a small batch that met a particular flavor profile; now they just aren’t being batched anymore.
My sampling had a middle amber look to it, and swishing the glass left a bright sheen behind, along with ample tears. The nose was squarely in classical bourbon territory, with oodles of vanilla and brown sugar, accented by lemon zest and cinnamon, with a hint of toasted nuts hovering in the background.
Sipping the bourbon brought the sweetness forward, planting candy corn and vanilla firmly in center stage. A generous pinch of spiciness plus a smaller pinch of woodiness, followed finally by a dusting of nuts rounded things out. The finish turned to those latter elements, starting off with sweet cinnamon spiciness before fading down to a faint trace of oak.
The new Baker’s single barrel was so yummy and flavorful and just plain good that I was initially tempted to grade it an “A-,” … but upon reflection I decided it lacked that extra something special that gets a whiskey into my A-grade department. Sipping on Baker’s is therefore a lot like going to your favorite diner: wholesome, nourishing, wonderful, old fashioned, but ultimately special only because it does those four things so damn well.
The Price
Baker’s Single Barrel is slated to hold a price point in the mid-50s.
