The tax stamp on this glass decanter of Bonded Beam is missing. I know that it is a legitimate bottle because it was part of a collection of old bottles Rosemary received from a friend and the bottle was given to her by her husband years ago. The whiskey is still clear and the fill level is fairly high, but the cork is loose and it needs to be consumed before it goes bad. 

Jim Beam is famous for the large number of decanter bottles they released starting in the 1960s through the 1980s. This is a cut-glass decanter, allowing me to see the whiskey and fill level. I much prefer this type of decanter to the ceramic decanters because they do allow you to see the whiskey and judge its condition. I am pleased to say that this whiskey is very drinkable.

Bonded Beam Bourbon Decanter

Proof: 100

Age: 8 Years Old

Date: circa 1970

Nose: Vanilla and marshmallows with a bit of fruit – cherries and berries, tobacco and leather with sweet oak wood.

Taste: Fruit-forward with berries and cherries in a French vanilla cream with a hint of tobacco and oak. There is just a whisper of white pepper spice before the finish. When tasted with a dried cranberry, the spice jumps to the front with white pepper and nutmeg. When tasted with a pecan, the berry flavor becomes tart. 

Finish: Starts sweet with vanilla and fruit, but quickly dries out with oak and pepper spice. The cranberry shortened the finish and made it very peppery. The pecan made the finish very dry with lots of oak but less pepper.

I am pairing this Bourbon with a La Boheme Poeta toro cigar. The smoke has sweet caramel notes with some earthy flavors of hay and tobacco. The Bourbon brought forward the sweeter notes of vanilla and caramel with a hint of sweet spice. The smoke brought out an interesting citrus note of lemon zest that lingered into the finish. It was a very good pairing.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller