Jim Beam 12yo Signature & Rye Reviews

Hi everyone,

I promised more Bourbon, so I’m back with more Bourbon. This time some basic stuff from Jim Beam.

Beam is often said to have a peanut thing going on and I’d never really understood the peanut thing I think, until I tasted this 12yo that is. Because it’s got peanuts all over it.

I tasted these at an event in Milan I went to. Mission: To try 50 American Whiskey’s total.

Jim Beam 12 Signature 43%

Colour: Light Bronze

Body: Medium

Nose: Peanuts, peanuts everywhere, behind the peanuts it's more peanuts. Salted ones to be precise.

Taste: Very soft, 'smooth,' a little dry oak, soft spice and some peanut.

Finish: Medium length. Dry, oak, some orange.

Not my style, although preferable to the white (shudders) and the black 6yo. Peanuts completely cover the nose, which doesn’t allow for any complexity. But if you like peanuts, maybe this one is for you.

61/100

Jim Beam Rye 40%

Colour: Light Bronze

Body: Medium

Nose: The peanuts are there but there's some soft spice, green peppercorn.

Taste: Soft, green peppercorn, then corn and rye bread, ginger, some clove, even cardamom but remains very soft.

Finish: Short length. Easy with some oak.

Not bad. This is perhaps not as easy to drink as the 12, but easy drinking isn’t something I’m looking for. This has more complexity, which I prefer.

66/100

Thanks for reading!

American Reviews #38-#39

Whisky Network Reviews #595-#596

American Average: 70.6

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

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