It’s been a while since the days of readily available 15 year Knob Creek picks so I was very excited to see Beam releasing a new extra aged bourbon. I was lucky enough to grab a bottle yesterday and got into it as soon as I was off work.
Hardin’s Creek: Jacob’s Well
Age: 15 years 4 months
Proof: 108
Neat
Notes: The nose is sweet with notes of salted caramel and rich oak. The palate brings more caramel, vanilla cream, leather and a good amount of rye spice. The mouthfeel is excellent for the proof which is also well integrated. The finish is slightly dry with vanilla extract, oak and warm spice.
Stars: 3 - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
Conclusion
This is an excellent whisky that is up there with Booker’s 30th and Booker’s Rye for my favorite Beam releases. It’s more drinkable than Booker’s 30th and the old 120 proof 15 year picks while bringing just as much flavor. It reminds me a bit of Doc Swinson’s 15 year release 6 as well. I’ll definitely be looking for a backup and keeping an eye out for future Hardin’s Creek releases.
TL;DR: My 3rd favorite Beam release