Jim Beam Rolls Out Three New “Craft” Bourbons

The onslaught of new fall American bourbon releases continues with word of the latest expressions from Jim Beam’s “Signature Craft” line up. Three offerings are in this autumn line up, including one that’s spent some time in smaller barrels aging.

Jim Beam’s new Signature Craft Quarter Cask, said the Kentucky whiskey maker, is bottled at 86 proof and prices for around $40 for 750 ml. It started with bourbon aged at least five years and is finished “with a variety of fine quarter cask bourbons, and all aged at least four years in smaller barrels.” This is said to have resulted in a whiskey that has “just the right balance of rich vanillas of a mature bourbon profile and the extra oak notes of the quarter cask bourbon.”

Joining this new release are the first two offerings from the distillery’s Signature Craft Harvest Bourbon Collection. These limited edition expressions took Jim Beam in a so-called “outside the barrel” experiment in which it worked with obscure grains and non-traditional recipes to craft these bottlings. More details of these are below, and it should be noted these are pricey for Beam releases, costing around $50 for a 375 ml product.

Jim Beam Signature Craft Soft Red Wheat Bourbon 

• Bottled at 90 proof, Jim Beam Signature Craft Soft Red Wheat is a light-bodied and very approachable bourbon that has been aged for 11 years
• The finest Soft Red Wheat from Kentucky and Indiana gives this bourbon a gentle spice with a slight, light brown sugar sweetness and a light-bodied finish that is best enjoyed straight (neat or on-the-rocks)
• Jim Beam Signature Craft Soft Red Wheat has a slight and soft aroma with mild oak notes, and has a range of color from golden honey to amber

Jim Beam® Signature Craft Brown Rice Bourbon 

• Also bottled at 90 proof, Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice is a full-bodied bourbon that has lasting flavor from its 11 years of aging
• This bourbon contains a taste of toasted grain with sweet oak and rich vanilla flavors and is best enjoyed straight (neat or on-the-rocks)
• Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice has an aroma with notes of sweet potato and brown sugar with a slight oaky spice and a deep, rich amber color

Following these in 2015 will be the four remaining expressions, including Whole Rolled Oat, Triticale, High Rye and Six Row Barley.