Our next bottled in bond bourbon is Jim Beam’s Old Tub. My mother in law picked this up for me as a birthday present while she was in Kentucky for work. It’s 4 year old, Kentucky only release that is supposedly the pre-prohibition family bourbon recipe from the Noe family and was named by Booker Noe back in the day when folks would bring their own jugs to fill with Old Tub. Fancy backstories aside, let’s get to what really matters: how does this drink?
Old Tub
Age: 4 years
Abv: 100 proof
Color: a medium gold
Price: $16 for a 375ml
Neat
Nose: Beam nuttiness, vanilla, caramel and faint oak notes
Taste: Average mouthfeel for 100 proof with the same notes from the nose the caramel is more pronounced here.
Finish: Surprisingly long with warm sweet caramel, spice and nutty notes. Definitely the best part of this dram.
Conclusion
I went in with low expectations given the 4 year age statement but with some hopes as I tend to like fancy Jim Beam ie Knob Creek Single Barrels and Booker’s. There was also the added pressure to appreciate the gift. Through the nose and palate I was underwhelmed but when I got to the long, warm, sweet finish this was saved. I enjoyed drinking through this little bottle and would be tempted to grab another one if I’m ever in Kentucky and saw it on a shelf. I was also a fan of the small form factor, backstory and old timey label though those don’t factor into the score.
I preferred Old Tub to the Early Times BiB by a fair amount though the Heaven Hill 6 year BiB and George Dickel BiB were a bit better.
1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
TL;DR: A fun novelty bottle, decent whiskey with a nice finish especially given the age