2016 was a rough year for Beam fans. First the age statement was dropped from Knob Creek Small Batch. Then it was reported that Old Grand Dad 114 was being discontinued. Then an announcement that Booker's production would be decreasing from six to four batches per year along with a new $100 MSRP (an increase of about 65%). Not long after that Beam reversed course with a fluffball announcement stating MSRP would gradually rise to $100 in the near term and they are sorry that Booker's (a product that sits on shelves everywhere even at the current price) will be hard to find. While the Knob Creek and Old Grand-Dad announcements were met with grumbling, the Booker's news really set the internet over the edge with a lot of Fuck Beam comments. I love Booker's and understand it was in need of a price bump but that kind of full on ludicrous mode price hike left me holding my pitchfork and siding with the boycott crowd.
But because some men just like to watch the world burn, Old Grand-Dad 114 was voted as the January /r/bourbon community review. Sigh. I realize I am in the minority but I've never liked that product. On top of that I really didn't want to go there given the recent Beam shit show. Regardless, I'm compelled to participate so here goes with what is likely the last Beam product I will ever buy.
No Age Statement; 57% ABV; $28
Nose: Ripe bananas, peanuts, some earthy funk, a torrent of ethanol, and a blast of rye spices. It breathes on the hot side and I would guess higher proof than 114. I'm sure the high rye mash spice is what is making this so aggressive but it feels ethanol heavy which really masks the traditional woody sweet notes I want.
Taste: Upfront is honey, some peanuts kind of like peanut butter crème brûlée, and a decent amount of oak depth. It's not overly young but it doesn't exactly taste mature either. The finish is a lot of hot angry spice that lingers forever. The spice is similar to cinnamon red hots which when combined with the ABV make for something like barrel proof Fireball "whisky".
Thoughts: Something about the combo of Beam peanut funk, high proof, and angry spices doesn't sit well with me. The traditional sweet and complex fruity flavors that I love in bourbon are muted by those aforementioned notes so it just ends up a hot funky mess. In about the same price range, something like Old Weller Antique 107 walks all over this so I'm not sad to see this one go. Bye, Felicia ✌️.
Rating: D+
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
No comments:
Post a Comment