Review 175: Jim Beam Devil's Cut

Let's follow Jim Beam White Label with the somewhat gimmicky Devil's Cut. Devil's Cut supposedly includes extra oak-laden whisky that has been extracted from the casks staves themselves. I'm very interested to know how Jim Beam achieves this, from both scientific and whisky-loving perspectives. Gimmicks aside, is the whisky decent? Let's see!

Jim Beam Devil's Cut

Color: Amber +1

ABV: 45%

Aroma Neat:
Golden Corn Syrup, Demerara Sugar (a bit rummy!), Butter Creme, Salted Toffee, Vanilla, Shaved Dark Chocolate, Overripe (very) Bananas.

Sweeter than White Label. More corn too. Not the uber-dry nose you may have been expecting! All that sweetness masks the spice I enjoyed in White Label, though.

Aroma Water:
Dutch Chocolate, Banana Creme, Cotton Honey, Salt/Brine (slightly), Buttery Vanilla, Dried Spearmint, Toffee, Mineral.

Offers a more well balanced sweetness with water, allowing for a more more diverse bouquet.

Taste Neat:
Flinty Minerality, Brown Sugar, Dried Mint, Sap, Seasoned Oak, Cardboard, Bitter Char, Ash (slightly).

Woo, a little hot. This has been a trait I've always noticed in Beam bourbons. They usually aren't the easiest whiskies on the palate. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it's nice to be acutely aware that you're drinking whisky.

Taste Water:
Rye Spice, Fresh Char (heavy), Dry Rum, Herbal Pine Tar, Sweet Oak Sugars/Sap, Corn Syrup, Tobacco, Mineral/Stony.

Here is that cask-wrought woodiness I was promised! Spice is present now too. Big improvement. Bottling at 45% ABV was a very good choice.
 
Finish:
Mineral, Stale Ash, Charred Oak, Syrupy Brown Sugar, Tar, Sea Salt.

Nice balance of dry and sweet (especially with water).

Conclusion:
Sweet nose, which is more well behaved and very pleasant with water.

Unbalanced palate neat, but very balanced and enjoyable with water.

Quality finish, which may be a bit challenging for a bourbon newbie. Lots o' wood and ash.

Rating: 83/100

Devil's Cut is certainly richer and sweeter than it's more cheaply priced brother, Jim Beam White Label. I don't actually care for it much neat, but with water it's a decent all-arounder bourbon. Not as crushingly sweet as Elijah Craig 12, nor as supremely dry as Wild Turkey 101. There is something about Beam character which will always prevent their bourbons from being my favorites, but this is a solid drink.

Josh