Baker’s 7 Year

Baker’s 7 Year
James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Clermont, Kentucky
ABV: 53.5%
107 Proof

I’m a very lucky person in that a lot of the spirits I review here are gifts from friends. They do a great job of pushing into trying all sorts of new drinks I wouldn’t have considered. The sheer volume of whiskey and bourbon on shelves these days can be overwhelming and once you latch onto a few ones you like it can be hard to branch out. Sometimes it can work out and you discover a new favorite, other times you know what to avoid. This bottle of Baker’s 7 year ended up being the latter.

It wasn’t at all bad, it just wasn’t that memorable. Especially for a bourbon aged 7 years. The nose contained notes of dark caramel. The taste matched pretty well, I really could pick up flavors of brown sugar but what was unexpected was how harsh it was. Every bourbon is going to have a little bit of that warm feeling permeating down the throat but this one was a little too much for my preference. With the cost of the bottle being around $50 it makes it hard recommend it as a mixer. If you like your bourbon more on the spicy side give it a try, otherwise I would avoid it.