Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: James Beam Distillery.
Proof: 118.2, non-chill filtered.
Age: 4 to 18 years.
Composed of a blend of the following Beam whiskeys:
18yrs Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (High Rye).
11yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.
7yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Malt Whiskey.
5yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (KY Family-Style, Char 4).
5yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (PA Family-Style, Char 1).
5yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (PA Family-Style, Char 4).
4yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.
Price: $160.00.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
Fantastic barrel character flavors of crème brûlée, brown sugar, toffee, butterscotch, and toasted oak. Right alongside is Beam peanut brittle with a healthy dose of vanilla bean and herbaceous rye flavors of peppermint, cloves, green tea, and nutmeg, with floral and cinnamon spice. With more time and swirling comes a layer of peaches, pears, and berries. This is deliciously complex. The oak and herbal rye flavors are excellent, with much more fruit than I expected. The cinnamon spice can be sharp, but the overall balance is so well crafted that it doesn’t prevent the other flavors from getting through. The oak flavors become much sweeter as the glass empties, with more peanut brittle and floral.
Palate
With a medium-creamy mouthfeel, the nose transfers to the palate with crème brûlée, brown sugar, toffee, toasted oak, peanut brittle, peppermint leaves, cloves, green tea, and nutmeg, with a subtle amount of stone fruit underneath. A perfect amount of cinnamon rye spiciness arrives mid-sip, which gives a nice balance to the oak, but I’m getting less fruit on the palate (compared to the nose) than I expected. Still, the barrel character, the herbal rye flavors, and the overall balance create a very delicious, decadent, and enjoyable experience that drinks way below its proof.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues to stay on the whole palate with toffee, brown sugar, toasted oak, peanut brittle, and vanilla. With more time, stone fruit, floral, and cloves come back around, while the oak eventually turns to soft leather and pipe tobacco. Spice still lingers to the end with pipe tobacco and a hint of stone fruit for a lengthy finish.
Conclusion
Have you had a whiskey that you thought was excellent but, at the same time, didn’t meet your expectations? That sums up my experience with Little Book Chapter 8. There is a lot to love about Little Book Chapter 8, but I wish the palate had the same “wow factor” as the nose and a stronger finish. On the other hand, the incredible barrel character and rye flavors give it a delicious and decadent quality that can’t be overstated. Though most of this blend seems to contain 4 to 7-year-old rye, it doesn’t taste young, yet it doesn’t remind me of a well-aged whiskey either. The other issue is that I don’t think Little Book Chapter 8 stands up to its $160 price tag, especially compared to other Beam releases in that price range, such as Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well Batch 2, which I rated a 10 and is only $10 more retail.
Is Little Book Chapter 8 more decadent and complex than, say, Knob Creek 10-Year Rye, Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye, and Old Overholt Cask Strength 10-Year Rye? I absolutely think so. But is Little Book Chapter 8 worth the difference in price between those three rye whiskeys? Well, that’s a subjective question, but I don’t think so. To sum it up, I consider Little Book Chapter 8: “Path Not Taken” an excellent, well-crafted whiskey I have no regrets about purchasing. But I think a fairer price for this release should be about $40 to 50 less
Rating: 8.3/10.
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.
