Baker’s 13 Single Barrel Limited Edition
Mike Rosen

Bourbon

October 9, 2023

Baker’s is named after Baker Beam, who is the son of Carl Beam and great-nephew of Jim Beam. Baker started his career at Jim Beam as a night watchman in 1954 when he was 18 years old. Baker worked his way up through the labor pool and by 1959, was the night shift supervisor at the distillery. In 1974 Baker was promoted to head Distiller at the Clermont plant, following the retirement of his father, who had been the Master Distiller. At this time, Baker’s cousin, Booker Noe was the Master Distiller and oversaw the Boston (KY) plant. Shortly before Baker retired in 1993, Booker honored his cousin with the release of Baker’s bourbon as part of the Beam Small Batch Collection. In 2007, Baker was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. In 2019, Beam-Suntory phased out Baker’s small batch blend to release a 107-proof, seven-year single barrel Baker’s bourbon. Along with this change came a new bottle design and labeling.

In a recent Baker’s 13 press release, Fred Noe said, “We received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback the first time we released this 13-year-old edition, and I’m proud to bring it back for whiskey fans who appreciate something special from Baker’s as a true gem within our Small Batch portfolio.” I almost forgot about this release until I strolled into the Beam American Outpost store a few weeks ago. I noticed Baker’s 13 didn’t have the same collar sticker that displays a unique serial number (and other information) that you find on Baker’s 7. Entering the serial number on the Baker’s Bourbon Website, shows the weather, length of aging, and warehouse location of the barrel’s journey and how it affects the flavor profile. I later learned from the press release that Baker’s 13 was supposed to come with a serial number on a neck tag, missing from all the Baker’s 13 bottles I saw that day. I called the American Outpost store in Clermont and was told, “For some unknown reason, some of these cases arrived without the neck tag”. A fellow Redditor had the same issue and emailed Baker’s with his bottle info, and they emailed him a serial number. I did the same and updated this review with that information.

I’ve heard good things about Baker’s 13, and it recently came in number 6 in Whiskey Raiders “The 8 Best Whiskeys We Tasted in September 2023”. Let’s get to it.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.

Distillery: Jim Beam Distillery.

Proof: 107.

Age: 13 years, 3 months.

Serial number: 001476991.

Mash bill: 75% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 12% Malted Barley.

MSRP: $129.99.

Appearance: Golden caramel.

Nose

Crème brûlée, dark brown sugar, butterscotch, pecans, chocolate-covered raisinets, apricots, vanilla, nutmeg, green tea, and a subtle amount of allspice. This nose is incredible. The caramel flavors are the main attraction mixed with vanilla, apricot-like stone fruit, and herbal notes with very little heat getting in the way. As the glass empties, the caramel flavors get sweeter with some peanut brittle showing up.

Palate

Very similar to the nose is brown sugar, toffee, butterscotch, pecans, raisins, vanilla, and apricot with a touch of green tea and chocolate. A well-balanced amount of baking spice covers the palate mid-sip with tobacco and a medium mouthfeel. This a very delicious and easy sipper. Almost too easy if there’s such a thing.

Finish

Baking spice lingers with peanut brittle, toffee, vanilla, and apricot, with tobacco lasting for a very enjoyable and long finish. There’s just a little bit of dryness at the very end.

Conclusion

Baker’s 13 is similar to Baker’s 7, but with more maturity that leans heavily on the rich caramel flavors and Beam nuttiness in the mix. Value is a big talking point when Baker’s is brought into the Beam conversation. It’s easy to understand why, when you have a wide-ranging Knob Creek line that’s so good, and delivered at a reasonable price. Is Baker’s different enough from Knob Creek to justify its existence and price? For my own curiosity, I compared Baker’s 13 to Knob Creek 12, Knob Creek Single Barrel (9 year, 10 month r/bourbon selection), and Baker’s 7 (8 yrs., 7 mo.).

Baker’s 7: 7 has a very similar, but younger and less complex overall profile to 13, but with more vanilla and peanut brittle with the same medium mouthfeel. 13 has much more elevated and mature oak-driven flavors of caramel, dark brown sugar, chocolate with pecans.

Knob Creek 12: One of my favs and was expecting this to be a closer comparison. Overall, Baker’s 13 has a more elevated and complex profile but KC12 has a better and more viscous mouthfeel.

Knob Creek SiB: Both have similar brown sugar, crème brûlée caramel flavors. KC SiB has a lot more spice all through the pour and a more viscous mouthfeel. Baker’s 13 is more complex with added butterscotch, stone fruit, chocolate, herbal notes, and a lot more tobacco. Both had long finishes where KC SiB focuses on spice, Baker’s 13 focuses on tobacco. Adding water to proof down KC SiB didn’t produce a Baker’s flavor profile.

In comparison, the Knob Creek Single Barrel came the closest with the same type of caramel flavors but that’s where the similarity ended. Baker’s 13 benefits from its additional age and complexity, while the KC SiB is a more intense spicy caramel bomb that benefits from its 120-proof strength. Even though this is a comparison of profile differences I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this KC SiB cost me $70, which is hard to beat in terms of value given its age and proof point. I’m also reminded how I would love to have a Baker’s at around 57% ABV.

This test proved to me that Baker’s 13 (and 7) are different enough from Knob Creek to justify its existence in the world of Beam brands. On paper, it’s easy to dismiss the Baker’s brand when compared to the age and value of Knob Creek, until they’re tasted side-by-side. But as always, it comes down to personal preference in terms of flavor, value, and what you’re in the mood for.

Baker’s 13 is an excellent and unique limited release that’s hard to not love. On the other hand, though it meets the $10/year criteria, it’s still a pricy bottle for a 107-proof expression. I’m very glad I snagged it, but I wouldn’t buy Baker’s 13 regularly if it were always available, and certainly wouldn’t pay a crazy secondary price for it. But I’d purchase Baker’s 13 again in a couple more years or so, at or close to retail if Beam decides to release it again.

Rating: 8/10.

 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.

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