Beam, Jack, Cola

I was invited to join a few friends for a picnic in the Meadows (a big park area in central Edinburgh) today – cue the coldest day in 3 weeks – and on the way there I went to a store to pick up some beer, and I happened to spot a can of ready mixed Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon & Cola. I’ve noticed Jack Daniels & Cola popping up in most shops, even Waitrose, but haven’t seen Jim Beam before. Since it was there and I was buying a few bottles of beer anyway, I thought I would give it a go. And since I was trying the Beam, I sort of had to try the Jack as well, wouldn’t you agree?

They both had a rather low alcohol level, the Jim Beam weighing in at 4.6% and the Jack at 6%, which served as a bit of a warning. Unfortunately they both tasted a bit watery, and the cola used was, I think, a bit sweeter and more artificial than usual and kind of dominated the natural sweetness of the whiskey. While the Jack had a higher level of alcohol, and as such there was presumably more Jack in the mixture (they’re both bottled at 40%), it actually seemed to have lost more of its flavor to the cola than did the Beam.

It could also be, though, that the Beam’s naturally sweeter flavors simply went better with whatever brand of cola used. It was rather sickly though, more so than the Jack, so in that sense picking a ‘winner’ would be difficult. In the end, I’ll be steering clear of both of them and mix my own, as you get better ingredients and proportions that way. Most people mix ‘em differently and I guess that’s where these products really fall down. Shame, because I like the idea of them as an alternative to beer when you’re out and about!

Oh and it must be said that the Jack Daniels can was, for a company that normally produces a high standard of branded shirts/barware and rely so heavily on their well known design, incredibly cheap looking and ugly. The front looks good enough, but down the side (if you will allow me to refer to any part of a round can as its front or side) it says “old no. 7” in what is arguably the ugliest font I’ve ever seen, which makes it look very cheap. The Jim Beam can is much nicer.

Not good enough to replace beer, and far from as good as mixing your own, but does have novelty value. Generally too sweet and sickly. That’s how long this article could’ve been!