Leather | Raspberry | Sweet corn | Cedar | Brown sugar | Charred oak

Leather | Tobacco | Aged oak | Toasted walnuts | Burnt caramel

Rye spice | Leather | Blueberry | Blackberry | Touch dry | Gentle tannins

Baker’s Bourbon has always been somewhat of a sleeper release in Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection that includes Booker’s, Knob Creek, and Basil Hayden. In a way, the Baker’s brand has always felt like the older brother in the family, with such an age gap between him and his next-closest siblings that he gets less attention bestowed on him, as if he was the sibling that’s too busy or off at college doing his own thing. Yet every year, Jim Beam sends him a birthday card reminding him that he’s not forgotten. That yearly attention comes in the form of  Baker’s 13 Year Old Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon.

Named after Baker Beam, the longtime employee and grandnephew of Jim Beam, this year’s Baker’s Bourbon release honors his 90th birthday. Once again, released in single barrel form and aged 13 years, it continues the brand’s tradition of being a solid, classic sipper that forgoes flash and gimmicks for a thoroughly enjoyable no-nonsense pour.

Right from the start, leather and oak are on display, which is at the core of every part of this release. Raspberry and sweet corn offer a slight reprieve from the heavy oak. The palate adds tobacco to the leather and aged oak, layering in traditional Jim Beam nuttiness, this time in the form of toasted walnut. In the finish, rye spice rises before blueberry and blackberry add a welcome layer of fruit to the mix. The finish in particular is on the dry side, with gentle tannins rounding things out as the flavors fade away.

In a lot of ways, Baker’s 13 Year Old Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon is a nice complementary sip to Weller 12 Year Bourbon. It’s less sweet, but just as oak-forward, which nicely showcases its age with a full-flavored sip, despite being only 107 proof. The price can feel like it's on the high side, especially if you compare it to the rest of the Small Batch Collection and, in particular, Booker’s Bourbon, a cask strength bourbon that retails for $100 (though its age hovers around the 7-8 year old mark). Heaven Hill recently released Elijah Craig 15 Year Single Barrel Bourbon at 108 proof for $150. But in Jim Beam’s portfolio, outside of Knob Creek 12 Year, the company typically focuses on blends of a wide range of low, mid, and high aged bourbons. That’s why Baker’s 13 Year Old Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon drinks as well as it does. It’s traditional in the best of ways. It’s an old style of bourbon that we regrettably don’t see enough nowadays. If the price doesn’t scare you off, you’ll be happy with what you get in return.