Beam Box (Round 4!) - Clermont Steep & Distillers Share: 02 Review
Background
Time for my 4th review from Jim Beam’s Barreled and Box program! If you are curious about any of the previous iterations, I’ve linked them all at the bottom. More importantly though, a new American Single Malt contender has emerged… and it’s none other than Jim Beam’s new release, Clermont Steep! For followers of the Little Book series, this release likely won’t come as a huge surprise after Little Book 06 contained 4 different malt whiskeys in the blend. Clermont Steep comes from 100% malted barley, aged 5 years in new American Oak (no secondary maturation). The barrels themselves have a level 1 char and then are subsequently toasted.
It’s also clear that Freddie Noe is having entirely too much fun with these single malts, because included in this box is Distiller’s Share: 02 to review as well. This experimental series release blends 3 barrels:
17% is 66 months old single malt that follows the same Clermont Steep process, but then gets a secondary maturation in Courvoisier Cognac VSOP barrels.
18% is 66 months old single malt that follows the same Clermont Steep process, but then gets a secondary maturation in Courvoisier Cognac XO barrels.
65% is 44 months old, and the same ~distillate~ as Clermont Steep, but instead of being aged in toast & charred barrels it’s aged in barrels that are just toasted.
Clermont Steep (5 Years, 94 Proof)
Nose: Butterscotch, buttered sourdough bread, melted caramel. Approachable and delicate.
Palate: Oh my god what is this sugary delight! This was NOT what I expected. Sugar cane, it’s a little oily and almost a little grainy in texture, but grainy makes it sound poorly composed and it’s more kind of crackles on the palate like breakfast cereal. There’s also a delicate caramel and vanilla swirl.
Finish: Cinnamon sugar, black pepper, melted caramel. There’s a nice gentle heat coming in that provides a necessary counterbalance to the sweetness on the palate.
Great (7/10)
Overall: I think I’m going to need to blind pour this for any bourbon only drinkers and see what they think, because my knee jerk reaction is that this is a bourbon drinker's single malt. I’m getting next to no maltiness, MAYBE a hint on the finish. But otherwise it just fires up all of those palate to brain sugar pleasure sensors. I honestly can't wait to see the future of this product line, and I’m actually not sure if this is a release that would benefit from being at cask strength. I’d obviously love to try it, but it drinks like they found a proof point they really liked where this showed well. You could pour it and just crush a glass (or multiple) without even realizing it.
Distiller’s Share 02 (44 Months, 109 Proof)
Nose: Lemonhead candies, honestly just a fair bit of citrus, lemon tea, toasted oak. Definitely a little punchier up front than the Clermont Steep.
Palate: A similar oily, slightly grainy texture from the Clermont but this type verging on syrupy. Lemon curd, caramel, and baking spices, but there’s also a similar underlying sweetness to the Clermont. Like a funhouse mirror version, because there’s a depth of citrus and spice here too.
Finish: Black pepper, more baking spices, lemon peels, toasted grains.
Great (7/10)
Overall: Do I prefer this to the Clermont… I’m honestly not sure. It’s definitely a punchier sip in terms of proof and flavor. Most of the time I think that’s too it’s benefit. Every so often I get a slightly grainy note that makes me think the Cognac barrels are not doing quite enough to mask that there is some fairly young whiskey at play. But don’t get me wrong, it’s tasty as all hell. Freddie you don’t know (Noe?) me from Adam but if you did a full Clermont Steep Cognac cask release you can guarantee I’d be there with bells on.
Prior Barreled and Boxed Reviews: