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Jim Beam: The Bourbon Enthusiast’s Friend

 Jim Beam: The Bourbon Enthusiast’s Friend


One thing I’m trying to get better at is verbalizing what I notice. Before I get to Jim Beam, I’ll start with the thoughts that brought me to this conclusion. 


If you’re reading this article, you also might be a big fan of Bourbon. No matter what level of enthusiast you consider yourself, you notice trends. Many times this happens simply by what you see and what you don’t see on shelves at your local liquor stores. If you’re looking for something in particular, and you can’t find it, you remember that. It can be frustrating. You also might notice the things that seem to always be there, maybe they even are collecting dust because they’ve been there so long. 

Another way you might start noticing trends is by what you see on social media. You might be in Facebook groups that mention certain bourbons, which usually always ends up being someone looking for Buffalo Trace products or raving about how they finally found one. You might see posts on Instagram or Youtube where your favorite influencers are reviewing some of the newest bourbons on the market and whether they are worth the money or not. I don’t want to get too much into psychology, but I’m pretty sure we start forming opinions based on so many things, and it could be down to minute details such as seeing a bountiful amount of a certain bottles, prices being lowered, bottle packaging, etc… 


My goal in pointing these things out is in a market that is changing a lot, we notice things, but sometimes don’t even know we have until someone else says it, and then we realize, “oh, I’ve been thinking that for a while, they are so right.” So one of those things I’ve been noticing as someone who LOVES exploring bourbon, I have to be very selective because I don’t have unlimited money. So I do a lot of research to make sure I make the right purchases. I almost try to find the whiskey that is the best representation of the certain style I want to try. For instance, if I want to try a finished bourbon, and since there are so many on the market, I might try to find a well-reviewed finished bourbon that seems to represent the category the best, so I can get a good idea of the influence it has on the whiskey, while also getting a whiskey I want to continue drinking until the bottle is gone. We all have bought a whiskey we didn’t really enjoy and then it ends up sitting on our shelf for too long and we have to decide if we want to mix it and get rid of it, or just pour it down the drain. 


Now I want to talk about how Jim Beam has been tackling the challenge of giving bourbon nerds what they want. They certainly aren’t the only ones, but they deserve a shoutout because they have been doing a great job. The main way I’ve noticed they are showing they are listening to bourbon enthusiasts is by bringing back age statements. Over the past year or more, we’ve seen age stated products start to hit the shelves consistently, and not only that, they will be available year round, which is a huge green flag for the enthusiasts. Knob Creek, made by Jim Beam, has consistently offered a 9 year small batch bourbon (for $35, which is a great value), then Knob Creek Rye received a 7 year age statement after a long time of not having one at all. They later released a 12 year bourbon and 10 year rye that would be available all the time. If that wasn’t enough, they now do annual releases of 15, 18, and forthcoming 21 year old bourbons. Even the regular 90 proof black label Jim Beam received a 7 year age statement recently.


One of the things we know the more we taste bourbon is age doesn’t always mean it will taste better, but it certainly signifies quality. But from what we’ve seen from Jim Beam is they’ve been really great at blending and proofing these releases to showcase what age can do to a whiskey in an affordable way. Most of these releases have quite a significant value. For example, the 18 year bourbon’s msrp is $170, which is a lot of money for a bottle of bourbon, but if you’re following the motto of $10 per year of age (which is a general rule of thumb), this is a good value proposition. Another example is the 9 year bourbon which is very good, is around $35 dollars; a great value. Another age statement we’ve seen recently is with the brand Old Granddad (also made by Jim Beam). They released a 16 year, and announced a 7 year Bottled in Bond shelf product to stand along side the 4 year Bottled in Bond… so… many… age statements…


Not only are the age statements impressive, but you also may care about other things like the Jacob’s Well brand releasing three 17 year bourbons all aged in different locations to show how different aging locations impact flavor. Another press release lately announced that barrel picks would no longer be proofed down to 120 proof like they have been for many years, but offered at barrel strength. Are you starting to see how many things have stacked up over time that are massive wins for us bourbon enthusiasts?


Although there are other factors that we may wish were different like the the price jump from the 9 year to the 12 year, the fact that many might rather have these releases at barrel strength as opposed to 100 proof, or the sad reality that 12-15 year barrel picks used to be offered as apart of the barrel pick program at 120 proof, which were offered around $50 bucks. This article isn’t to argue how we wish some things could be, but to highlight that Jim Beam is listening to bourbon enthusiasts and paying close attention to the trends. 


If you like to explore what age can do to bourbon in different expressions, there aren’t always readily available products to explore, or if they are, the prices could be astronomical. Beam Suntory are showing that they are a front-runner in stepping up quality across the board at an affordable price, which is what bourbon should be… good quality, at an affordable price.


Wednesday, May 28, 2025


Article by: Drew Martin

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