
Baker's 7-year old is named after its creator Baker Beam, Jim Beam's grandnephew. It comes with a mash bill of 77% corn, 13% rye and 10% malted barley, and is bottled at an ABV of 53.5% (107 proof). Baker's forms part of Jim Beam’s small batch Bourbon collection that also includes Booker's, Basil Hayden’s and Knob Creek. This review looks at batch no. B-90-001.
The nose is sweet and fruity. Flavours of dates and oranges appear first, followed by notes of coconut, caramel and cinnamon. Adding water does not bring forth any more flavours, and in my view this is best enjoyed neat.
The palate is medium-bodied, creamy and lightly spicy. Vanilla now is at the forefront, together with flavours of nuts, caramel and cinnamon.
The finish is of medium length and rather sweet. Notes of coffee and orange peel last until the very end.
This is another superb representative of Jim Beam’s small batch Bourbon collection. As is the case with e.g. Booker’s, the alcohol has been very well integrated, which makes this very drinkable and enjoyable. Compared with Booker's, though, Baker’s is more creamy and silky and an altogether more rounded and less boisterous companion.
Thanks, @Robert99. You are right, I do not readily get coconut flavours in my whisky either, but they were very discernible here. I also find Baker's rather sweet and I love it! As for your vatting proposal, this is indeed worth trying, although I like to drink Maker's 46 on its own, really. Thanks again for your kind feedback.
@Pierre_W You are lucky to be able to detect coconut. That is not a flavor that I detect easily. This a solid and informative review. Unfortunately, for me , Baker's is a tad too sweet. Well, maybe a little more than a tad... But since I really like it, I use it to sweeten the drams that I find a bit bitter like the Bulleit 95 rye. I have been drinking a vatting of mine in the last few weeks that goes like this. 1 part of CRNHR, 2 parts of Baker's, 4 parts of Maker's 46 and 8 parts of Bulleit 95% rye. It's worth trying.