Note: this was originally posted on r/bourbon in December 2022.

Background

Recently I wrote about Jim Beam’s Barreled & Boxed program, which offers two bottles each quarter. I reviewed the Summer ‘22 batch, comprising of the two new Hardin’s Creek offerings, here but spoiler alert - I LOVED the 15 year offering and thought the two year was meh (and super overpriced).

The Fall ‘22 delivery contains two new bottles: a Distillers’ Share Toasted Brown Rice 375 bottle, and Little Book Chapter 06 “To the Finish.” On their face, these are two pretty unique releases. Little Book is famous for Freddie Noe’s relentless experimentation, and this year’s offering is no different. This release is not classified as bourbon even, as it’s a blend of 4 different, 4 year malt whiskeys, and one 5 year bourbon. For the Distillers’ Share release, we don't get mash bill details but we can safely assume the secondary grain is brown rice (it’s labeled bourbon, so must be at least 51% corn). The label also notes it was finished in a toasted barrel and aged for 5 years. Alright let’s drink!

Distillers’ Share 01 - Toasted Brown Rice (5 Years, 102 Proof)

Nose: Vanilla, yellow cake on the nose. Sweet, fairly inviting though a bit tame.

Palate: Vanilla and toffee that gives way to cinnamon red hots, though it’s overall a pretty muted and thin sip.

Finish: That cinnamon candy note dominates the finish, which is pretty short and clean.

Bad to Sub-par (3.5/10)

Overall: Eh, this is a miss for me. It’s not offensive per say, but it’s frustratingly dull. It does not bowl you over with flavor. The texture is thin, and the finish is short. I wonder if this is just a cinnamon bomb at full proof and so they dropped it down a bit. Lord knows Freddie Noe has forgotten more about whiskey then I’ll ever know - this is just not for me.

Little Book Chapter 06 “To the Finish” (4 Years, 117.4 Proof)

Nose: Maple, brown sugar, fresh cut apples. You get the first hints of malt whiskey here but it’s not overwhelming

Palate: Vanilla caramel swirls into a juicy, sweet apple juice note. A little thin still, but juicy!

Finish: Spiced apples, orange peels, anise and black pepper take us home, medium in length.

Very Good (6.5/10)

Overall: Just shy of what I would call great - it’s a very good and honestly super fun and easy sipper. Masterfully blending so that the malt whiskey and the bourbon play together nicely. You get a classic, apple-y malt note throughout that melds well with your more obvious bourbon caramels/vanillas. Exceedling drinkable for the 117 proof.