Review #: 475
Description: Little Book Chapter 3: “The Road Home”
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: The 2019 Little Book release brings us the third chapter and this time, it’s all bourbon. Specifically, it’s a blend of the two mashbills that make up multiple Beam brands. The blend contains barrels of 9 year Knob Creek/11 year Booker’s/12 year Baker’s (77/13/10) and 9 year Basil Hayden (63/27/10)
Distillery – Jim Beam
Bottler – Jim Beam
Brand – Little Book
Selection – N/A
ABV – 61.3%
Age – 9 Years
Nose – Super rich on the nose – dark cherry, mocha, lots of oak and leather, toasted tree nuts, shortbread cookies, nougat
Taste – Lots of oak, gingersnap cookie, dry leather, cherry turnover. Oak is strong and dry but not bitter
Finish – Dried fruit, nuts, lots of spice, oak continues to be strong and drying, heat is pretty strong though
Score: 7
Would I buy a bottle? This retailed at $125. I think now a days that’s a fair price but I probably wouldn’t personally spend that money on it (but it certainly is a fun way to try their products at strengths you don’t normally get)
Thoughts: I think this is a great example of the Beam portfolio in an amped up format. A wonderful nose, oak and nuts on display, and great to have the barrel influence being strong without bitterness coming through. The heat though is a bit much at the end that keep it from being a fantastic release but a solid addition to the Little Book series.