The Devil’s Cut

A few months back, I posted on the emergence of Jim Beam’s new Bourbon brand, The Devil’s Cut. I poked fun of the cheesy marketing angle spinning a relatively simple concept, extraction of the bourbon content absorbed into the barrels, into a sex driven, late night bottle of “cool”. But the reality was, I was pretty interested in trying the stuff. The idea of taking back the “angels share” appealed to my whiskey preferences. The character of this typically lost share of the bourbon was said to offer some serious charred wood flavor profiles to the final product and I’m always down for that.

But I was always reluctant to buy a full bottle. My liquor cabinet barely closes these days and I really wasn’t so sure how I’d like it. Considering how long that Old Man Guavaberry has been sitting in my apartment, who knows how long the Devil’s Cut would have remained. So when I saw an airplane bottle being sold at the liquor store I was ecstatic. I was completely prepared to taste the tiny portion and start working on my witty take down of the marketing driven bourbon. Except for the fact, that I actually kind of like the stuff!

With my big square ice-cube mellowing out this big flavor bourbon, I found myself enjoying the typical notes of vanilla and caramel but being more intrigued by the real intense oakiness that sure does make good on its promise. As I sipped I couldn’t help but think this would be a nice transition for a bourbon drinker looking to get into scotch, or a scotch drinker interested in trying bourbon. I can’t imagine this being all that great in some of the traditional cocktails, like the old-fashioned, as the flavor profile is a bit strong and arguably complex to the point of muddled, but as a change-up to my normal go-tos, the Devils Cut definitely has me intrigued. Plus, I’m always a bit skeptical of the quality in these airplane bottles, so I think it’s time I go pick up a full one.

Anyone out there intrigued by the Devil’s Cut?