Jim Beam Black 7 Year Bourbon Review

Jim Beam
Black
Aged 7 Years
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
90 Proof
MSRP (average retail price): $22.99-$26.99
Review

Please enjoy our Jim Beam Black Aged 7 Years Bourbon Review!

“After seven years resting in barrels, something special happens. The liquid turns a rich gold with notes of caramel, Vanilla & warm oak. This is the smooth, aged whiskey of Jim Beam Black.” – The Bottle Label

Another Change for Jim Beam Black

What’s that you say? Jim Beam Black has been around for quite a while, so why review it now? Well, aside from it being a quite good, reasonably priced bourbon, it happens to have undergone a transition, yet again.

Jim Beam Black and Age Statements

Jim Beam Black has an ongoing saga with age statements. A few years back, it bore an 8 year age statement. Then it lost its age statement, and until very recently simply had “Extra Aged” on its label. During that time, the general consensus was that it was around 6 years old. At one point, it also was called Double Aged, but that didn’t last very long. That was Double Aged compared to the standard Jim Beam Bourbon, also known as “White Label”. That is assumed to be aged around 4 years.

So, why am I discussing all this? Because good ol’ Jim Beam Black Bourbon now has its age statement back! This time the label reads “Aged 7 Years”. In addition to presumed longer aging, it also received a little bump up in proof. Recent versions of Black have been 86 proof, but this new Jim Beam Black Aged 7 Years version is 90 proof. Other than that, and some additional label changes, all else should be the same. So, you may be wondering, what’s it like?

Tasting Notes – Jim Beam Black Aged 7 Years Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Brown sugar, rye spices, caramel, mild vanilla, tart orange citrus and cinnamon; intermittent hints of peanuts and cherries; alcohol vapor appropriate for proof
👉🏻Taste: Simple syrup, light caramel, orange citrus and black tea; mild char, tannins and oak
👉🏻Finish: Increasing white pepper spice, fairly dry with some tannins, black tea and barrel char. Pleasant warmth; fairly long

The nose has classic bourbon flavors with notes of rye spices, caramel and vanilla. There’s some tart orange, a touch of cinnamon, and the occasional peanut note. The taste is fairly sweet at first, with simple syrup and light caramel. The flavors are rounded out by a bit of tang from orange citrus, black tea and mild char, with tannins and oak appearing later on. The fairly long finish becomes more dry, with tannins, black tea and barrel char. There’s increasing white pepper spice, which lingers, with a moderate warmth but just a mild burn.

Jim Beam Black Aged 7 Years Has Quite A Bit To It

The flavors are not dissimilar to my memories of the “Extra Aged” version of this bourbon. That had a fair amount to it for its relatively low 86 proof. Likewise, the new 7 year 90 proof bourbon has plenty of flavor. It’s not going to knock your socks off with complexity, but it’s not meant to.

Conclusion

Jim Beam Black Aged 7 Years is a solid, flavorful bourbon that most bourbon drinkers will enjoy. Given its relatively low proof, this would be a nice pour for those starting out in bourbon, but it should be able to hold up to cocktails, too. Have you tried it? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our review! If you would like to learn more about the James B. Beam Distilling Company the makers of this bourbon, check out our James B Beam Distilling Tour Review! Also, you can read about the prior version of this bourbon in our Jim Beam Black Bourbon Review or read our Jim Beam Bourbon Review to learn about the “White Label” version.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!