If you haven’t heard, Baker’s Small Batch Bourbon is turning into the Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel. No more blending, just a pure high-proof single barrel experience. Think along the lines of Russell’s Reserve or Four Roses Store Picks. Which is an interesting move for the brand and something I hope they lean on heavily for store picks because Baker’s needs some differentiation.

For a long time, Baker’s has kind of been the forgotten child in the Jim Beam Small Batch lineup. Which has been nice for fans because we had a cheap, age-stated, high-proof small batch that was reliably good. But it, obviously, wasn’t sticking out in the general market. This change is going to get it more attention, but now it’s entered a whole new realm of competition within the JB portfolio itself.

There is already a Jim Beam Single Barrel offering, but it’s NAS and bottled at 47.5% (which they should cut from the lineup), so it’s not unique in that realm. Then there’s the Knob Creek SiB which is older and higher proof than the Baker’s.

So how is it going to stand out? I get that as a small batch it was competing with Booker’s which, on average, was just a hair younger but higher proof… and also about double the price. So it made Baker’s a great value. I get why they want to keep Baker’s, legacy and family, but I’m having a hard time seeing how making it a 7-year-old, 53.5%, single barrel does that with Knob Creek Single Barrel being a 9-year-old at 60%.

Only time will tell how this switch to the Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel works out for them, but as it sits I really don’t see how this will helped it significantly stand out… unless their long-term plan is to use Baker’s as a way to highlight older stocks of Jim Beam. Like, say, a limited edition 13-year-old release. Which is one route, but seems a bit boring. So what else could they have done? Well, I have two ideas.

Baker’s Bourbon Revamp Idea 1
Kick off the bourbon and turn it into a “Bourye”. Keep the 107 proof and the 7 year age-statement and make it a small batch blend of Jim Beam Bourbon and Jim Beam Rye to make a wholly unique offering in their lineup. True it could potentially compete with the upcoming Little Book which is a blend of all 3 JB Mashes, but that’s a one-off LE so it’s not really competition… plus this wouldn’t have the OGD/Basil Hayden’s liquid in it. Plus with Wild Turkey Forgiven no longer being made, there’s definitely room in the market.

Baker’s Bourbon Revamp Idea 2
Make it a yearly “small batch” release that cycles through the JB mash bills. So 2019 would be a 7-year, 107 proof, rye release; 2020 would be a 7-year, 107 proof, high-rye (OGD) bourbon; 2021 would be back to the usual JB mash with the same stats; 2022 would cycle back to the rye and so on. I know they also have a ton of experiments going all the time so it could also be interspersed with other stuff that adheres to those stats.

Those are two ideas I had to revamp the line and give it a bigger point of differentiation in the lineup and the market. If you have any others drop it in the comments below the bourbon review, I’d love to read them.

Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Jim Beam’s Words:

“Burnt brown sugar, toasted marcona almonds, and hints of crème fraîche surface on the alluring nose here. The palate is firm but not overwhelming, with a potpourri of dried stone fruits, spices and a hint of molasses. The above-average finish shows a bit of heat and lots of spice. [Baker’s®] Bourbon is tasty served neat, but works even better on the rocks.”

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Jim Beam
Mash Bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 7 years
ABV: 53.5%

Price: $55

Tasting Notes

EYE
Caramel

NOSE
Oak, chocolate Twizzlers, peanuts, leather and char.

PALATE
Oak, dark fruit, caramel, peanuts and baking spice. As it opens a bit of honey shows up and it carries a nice dark sweetness

FINISH
Med-Long -> Roasted corn, oak and baking spice fade out together.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium-full body and a soft warm feel.

Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel Review: Overall and Score

For the formal review I picked my favorite of the three SiB samples sent, but I’ve also included my review and thoughts on the other two below. Think of it as two bonus Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel Reviews. A 3 for 1 if you will :D

This SiB, the brown one, is great. The Aroma is chocolaty and nutty with a good amount of oak and sweetness coming through; Palate is similar but carries a heavier spice that grows as it opens and soon comes to be on par with everything else; Finish is a nice culmination with a sweet and spicy fade.

Before we get into the 2 other releases I have a few thoughts about the change that didn’t fit above. But first, the score for this particular SiB.

SCORE: 88/100 (B+)

*Disclosure: These Baker’s Bourbon Single Barrel samples were graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

BAKER’S SINGLE BARREL – BLACK

NOSE: Fruity, nutty and oaky. It’s lighter than the original and gets a note that’s almost floral. The oak isn’t nearly as pronounced.

PALATE: Peanuts, caramel, raw corn and vanilla. Much lighter and brighter than the small batch, doesn’t carry nearly as much oak and feels less mature.

FINISH: Med -> Peanut oil and vanilla fades out to dried cocoa.

OVERALL: Ah the variability of single barrels. I tasted this first in the lineup alongside the standard small batch and it excited me to to see how different it was. Getting back to the whiskey itself, it’s an ok bourbon, but it’s so light and bright it feels like it’s more around 3-4 years than 7. It also drinks far smoother and lighter than the 107 proof it’s at.

SCORE: B (83ish)

BAKER’S SINGLE BARREL – WHITE

NOSE: Dark fruit, hazelnut, vanilla and butterscotch. On the whole it has more of a candy sweetness to it. Not quite as light or bright as #1, but not as deep and dark as the SmB.

PALATE: Oak, fresh brownies, roasted corn and leather. Woah, the nose and the palate are so different. They bring a nice balance to each other, but wow.

FINISH: Med-Long -> Roasted corn, oak and baking spice fade out together.

OVERALL: Slightly metallic across the whole thing, but not in a bad way. The aroma is light and airy, but the palate is deep and heavy. That duality is nice and keeps things interesting. Not quite as balanced and wonderful as the SmB… but close. Very close. And also just plain tasty.

SCORE: B+ (87)

After tasting them individually I blended what was left in my glass (roughly 1/4 oz of each) together to make my own mini small batch. It was good, but on the whole it was a bit on the light side and I definitely liked the real SmB better than my mini one. So I dumped what was left of my SmB (~1/2 oz) into the glass and it made it quite nice.

Since Baker’s is about to change forever I highly recommend going out and getting a small batch so you can do things like this yourself over time. I’ll definitely be keeping my current SmB around for SBS tasting, but just to be safe I’ll be following my own suggestion and picking up a new one as a reference point down the line.

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