I find that I always end up running through some version of the same spiel when trying to explain the under-the-radar bourbon brand that is Baker’s, so allow me to simply quote what I said at this time last year:
For as long as Baker’s Bourbon has existed, it’s always been the most nebulously defined and marketed of the major bourbon whiskey brands in the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. This is largely due to the area it inhabits on the shelf, as a mid-cost bottle existing between the high value proposition of Knob Creek (9 years, 100 proof) and Booker’s (5-7 years, but cask strength). The MSRP on the flagship Baker’s ($60-70) finds itself falling smack dab between those two, but with an age statement (7 years) and alcoholic strength (107 proof) that also gave it a narrow niche to inhabit. This arguably always made it difficult for Baker’s to truly develop an identity for itself, so Beam wisely redesigned it in 2019, turning the Baker’s brand into a single barrel expression, something that would at least help a bottle of Baker’s offer more of a distinct experience. At the same time, they also celebrated the brand with the initial 2019 release of Baker’s 13 Year Old, a limited edition version designed to highlight the peak of their single barrel program. And now, that release has finally come around again for an encore.
And so, here it is–another 2024 batch of Baker’s 13 Year Old, which like the flagship version is bottled at a respectable 53.5% ABV (107 proof). Its age statement is obviously substantially bigger than its predecessor, but like the 7-year flagship version this is also a single barrel bourbon. In a sign of the times, the 2024 release has an MSRP that has grown by $20 from last year’s $130. Now that’s $150. Perhaps these numbers will just keep going up until they approach infinity.
Note: This is an expression of the classic Jim Beam bourbon mash bill of 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley. There’s another new “high rye” expression of 7-year-old Baker’s that has recently been on the market, but this one is using the most familiar Beam mash bill that we know and love.
So with that said, let’s get to tasting.
On the nose, my tasting glass is awash in classic, extra-aged Beam bourbon notes. It’s distinctly nutty and roasty, favoring almond butter a bit more than peanut, with very dark caramel and glazed nuts, vanilla frosting, clove spice, cherry-like fruit, and slightly musty rye grain. Increasingly, it turns a bit more toward the savory, with elements of tobacco, leather and a little anise.
On the palate, this leads off with nice, sweet caramels and some cherry, along with more of that almond nut butter. Charred oak and more of those savory characteristics follow, with delicate tobacco. I’m also getting something that is evocative of charred sweet corn off the grill, which is an interesting characteristic that doesn’t immediately come to mind with Beam. The whole profile does a nice, gentle transition from moderate residual sweetness to lingering, roasty nuttiness and oak with modest drying tannin. Ethanol heat is appropriate for the moderately elevated proof point.
The only potential knock I would have with any of what is found in this Baker’s bottle is that it perhaps feels slightly on the thin side for a 107 proof expression, but at the end of the day this is an excellent showcase for some of the classic flavors that extra-aged Beam bourbons tend to develop. It’s not as bold as say, their Hardin’s Creek series, but few releases are. Beam fans will likely find a lot to love here.
Distillery: Jim Beam
City: Clermont, KY
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 53.5% (107 proof)
Availability: Limited, 750 ml bottles, $150 MSRP
Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident brown liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.