Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
A “baker’s dozen” means 13 of something, going back to at least the 1500s when English bakeries would apparently add a 13th loaf of bread to the standard dozen when selling to a retailer. (The extra loaf gave the retailer a profit margin.) So Baker’s 13 is a fun play on words, as well as an interesting new release from Beam Suntory.
The Baker in this case is Baker Beam, grand-nephew of Jim Beam and a former distiller at Jim Beam Distillery. Baker’s Bourbon first hit the shelves in the early ’90s as part of Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection. But it wasn’t until 2019 that the label came out as a single barrel whiskey.
Beam leans into the single barrel release in a novel way, too. Each bottle of Baker’s 13 comes with a tag around its neck indicating the barrel number. If you type that number into the Baker’s website, it takes you through a digital journey that traces where your bottle came from while educating you on the Beam process.
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In the case of my bottle, from barrel 224728, I discovered that it had aged on floor 4, rack 21 at a rickhouse in Clermont, Kentucky. It was filled in January 2010, aged in temperatures that ranged from -5 degrees to 105 degrees, and was eventually dumped into bottles in April of this year. It aged a total of 13 years and three months.
Call it a gimmick if you want, but the digital journey is a smart addition to the single barrel packaging. Other distillers should consider their own versions. It took me to the Baker’s website and led me to spend time reading about their aging process, which I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.
Tasting Notes: Baker’s 13 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
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Vital Stats: Mash bill of 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% barley, aged in new American oak; 107 proof/53.5% alcohol by volume; MSRP of $129.99, but commonly found for $200 or more on secondary markets.
Appearance: Dark copper, the color of a penny.
Nose: It’s warm and rich wafting up from the glass. For some reason, it brings the color red into my mind as I inhale. I smell honey, brown sugar, soft leather, and a buttered dinner roll.
Palate: This is clearly a Kentucky bourbon, hitting all the notes regulars expect from American whiskey’s heartland. I taste zucchini bread, caramel, fresh-tapped maple syrup straight from the tree, and maybe a hint of apple juice.
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