Review: Beam Pin Bottle 8 Years Old

Jim Beam is one of the most famed distilleries when it comes to novelty bottles. In fact, they released more than 3,000 unique decanters from the 1940s to the 1990s, many of which you can check out in person if you visit the distillery.

The bowling pin decanter is one of Beam’s classics, and to celebrate the distillery’s 230th anniversary this year, they brought it back. This re-creation of the iconic original Pin Bottle features liquid from the same 9-story warehouses, bottled at 8 years old and 86.8 proof, which all mimic the maturation site, age and proof of the original Beam Pin Decanter release.

Rent some shoes and come along for the ride with me.

Beam Pin Bottle 8 Years Old Review

This isn’t the kind of whiskey where you go into it expecting a revelation. But as a fun, if full novelty, version of classic Beam, it works just fine.

The nose is bold with popcorn and peanuts and Cracker Jacks, perhaps an intentional decision to put you in the mood to go bowling. Chocolate and vanilla notes are present but light-handed, with a lightly leathery underbelly and some notes of anise.

The palate features a lightly toasted character that evokes flavors of brown bread and fortune cookies, later a sweeter profile — peanut brittle, toasted coconut, and a light lemon character that brightens things up. It’s clean but simple, a pleasant sipper without a lot of complexity, save for the finish, which is full of notes of lane oil and Lysol. Just kidding!

Final score: A solid spare.

86.8 proof.

B+ / $100 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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