Baker’s 7 Year Old
I decided to try another American bourbon, a slightly pricier one this time with a price tag around the $62 mark: Baker’s 7. A part of the Jim Beam family and categorised as “Sour Mash Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” on the Whiskey Exchange website, I was intrigued.
From what I had heard about it already, though, I didn’t quite know what to expect. True enough, you will often find that a whisky will be reviewed by one person as worthless and another as the best thing since sliced cheese (sliced bread is old, get over it) but this whiskey certainly seemed to occupy both extremes. So I figured that someone ought to cast the final and deciding vote, and the first person that came to mind was, well, my good self!
Let’s get down to business, then. Pouring a nice copper color it gives an excellent first impression, so far so good. The nose presents some classic American aromas; oatmeal, corn, vanilla, bitter chocolate, leather and caramel. Pretty much what you would expect then, but there is also a distinctively yeasty note which I haven’t come across before. Since I enjoy yeasty British ales as well as the nice vanilla/leather aromas of many an American bourbon, the nose gets two thumbs up.
The palate also carries the classic vanilla and caramel flavors, along with a bit of cinnamon, nuttiness, wood and corn. As it slips to the back of your mouth the sweetness gives way to a spicy bite and a kick of alcohol. The finish is spicy and slightly sweet, but doesn’t last as long as I’d like.
Not bad overall, but unfortunately it doesn’t differ enough from other, much cheaper, bourbons. For about half the price I would without doubt go for the standard Jim Beam – which isn’t really that interesting either, but value for money considered it cracks Baker’s like North Korea cracked its currency. If you fancy spending a similar amount of money, though, I would recommend Blanton’s original which I reviewed a while back.
Color: Copper.
Nose: Oatmeal, vanilla, corn, bitter chocolate, leather, caramel, yeast.
Taste: Vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, nutty, wood and corn. Finish is spicy and slightly sweet, but short.
Want to buy this whisky? Available in: USA & World (click), UK & Europe (click)
