Background

It’s been a big year for Jim Beam’s Hardin Creek line! They released a full experiment on terroir with their “Kentucky Series”, a trio of 17 year whiskeys from three different Jim Beam campuses. They also brought back last year’s Jacob’s Well label for a second batch, this time extending the age statement from 15 years to 17. Or, more specifically and in Beam parlance, 184 months to 211 months. No one from Jim Beam is going to read this… but on the off chance they do come on branding team just put years on the label. Some people (ok me) can’t do basic math, and might have to bust out their phone calculator (yup, still me) and type in 211/12 (I’m a liberal arts major I don’t know what you want from me).

Anyways, I reviewed the first iteration of Jacob’s Well last year and absolutely loved it. I quickly killed the bottle, sharing it excitedly with as many people as I could find, and haven’t revisited it since. Seems like as good a time as any to re-review it side by side with batch two and compare them. Before we get into the notes, thank you, Jim Beam, for seemingly abandoning the $80, two year releases and instead just dropping wild 17 year bottlings. Ok, let’s review!

Jacob’s Well 184 Months (15 Years, 108 Proof)

Nose: Oh my yup, there’s that inviting musty dark fruit I remember. Mulled wine, plums, and brown sugar.

Palate: Cherry cordial, more of that mulled wine- completed with all the accompanying spices. Leather and charred oak round things out.

Finish: Again it’s more leathery than I remember, in a nice way. It coats the mouth and provides a loving “old whiskey” caress. Dark chocolate and cloves.

Incredible (9/10)

Overall: I have, at times, wondered if I was a bit too high on this bottle. I have friends who find it tasty but not exceptional, and some who outright don’t like it. I obviously don’t begrudge them at all but this continues to hit all the right notes for me. The interplay of dark sugars and fruit is so well balanced and inviting that I find myself sitting and reveling in this dram.
 

Jacob’s Well 211 Months (17 Years, 109 Proof)

Nose: Old time-y root beer, molasses and baking spices. It smells like an old whiskey right from the jump, but it doesn’t punch you in the face. It’s alluring.

Palate: Oh yeah more of that sassafras/root beer note. Then take the cherry cordial from the 15 year and swap in dark chocolate covering a black cherry. Anise, rich pipe tobacco and toasted oak.

Finish: Big time black licorice for sure, and even more of that leathery note that came through on the first batch.

Incredible (9/10)

Overall: There’s a shared DNA here between the two batches, but you have to search for it. This version turns the dial down on the fruit and turns it up on more of the stereotypical age notes. More wood, more leather, more anise as opposed to cinnamon. It’s almost more reminiscent of this year’s Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon than last year’s Jacob’s Well.

It may seem like a bit of a cop out rating these the same, they are definitely different tasting whiskeys. I expect others will have a stronger preference between the batches. Ultimately though, this to me is about consistency in quality if not flavor. Both of these are absolutely delicious, lucious and flavorful whiskeys. I revisited this side by side on three separate occasions in the run up to writing this, and each time I found myself savoring both in equal measure.