Baker's 7 Year is a bold, high proof Kentucky straight bourbon and a member of Jim Beam's prestigious Small Batch Collection, which also includes Booker's, Knob Creek, and Basil Hayden's. First released in 1992, the brand is named for Baker Beam, grand nephew of the legendary Jim Beam and a longtime distiller in his own right, who favored a richer, higher proof style of bourbon. What sets Baker's apart within the Beam family is its use of a special strain of jug yeast that the Beam family has cultivated and propagated for more than 60 years, lending the whiskey a notably silky texture and a full, balanced flavor. This particular bottling is the older small batch version of Baker's, the format produced for decades before the brand transitioned to a single barrel presentation around 2019 and 2020, making these earlier small batch bottles a piece of Beam history. Aged a minimum of seven years and bottled at a robust 107 proof, it occupies a distinctive middle ground in the high proof bourbon world, more intense than a standard 80 to 100 proof pour yet more approachable than the barrel proof heavyweights. Often described as the most old timey of the Beam small batch bourbons, it pours a deep amber and delivers a complex, full bodied experience: a sweet nose of corn, maple, caramel, and vanilla gives way to spicy cinnamon and clove, toasted oak, dark fruit, and baker's chocolate, all carried on a rich, oily texture into a long, warming, sweet hot finish. Rich enough to stand in for an after dinner Cognac, Baker's rewards slow sipping neat or over a single large cube.
ABV / Proof
| Brand |
Baker's |
| Distillery |
Jim Beam (James B. Beam Distilling Co.), Clermont, Kentucky |
| Producer |
Beam Suntory |
| Category |
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Small Batch |
| Expression |
Baker's 7 Year (older small batch version) |
| Age Statement |
7 Years |
| Mashbill |
Undisclosed (Beam standard bourbon recipe; widely cited as roughly 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley) |
| Maturation |
Aged 7 years in charred new American oak; made with the Beam family jug yeast |
| Bottling |
Small batch |
| ABV |
53.5% |
| Proof |
107 |
| Bottle Size |
750ml |
| Country |
United States |
| Region |
Kentucky |
Tasting Notes
Color: Deep amber.
Nose: Big and sweet, with corn, maple, caramel, toffee, and vanilla over dark fruit and a touch of spice.
Palate: Rich and full bodied, with caramel and toffee sweetness, vanilla, toasted oak, dark chocolate, and spicy cinnamon and clove, all over an oily texture.
Finish: Long and warming, with lingering sweetness, oak, and a sweet hot kick.
FAQ
Who is Baker's named after? Baker Beam, the grand nephew of Jim Beam, who favored a richer, higher proof style of bourbon.
What makes Baker's distinctive? It uses a special strain of jug yeast the Beam family has propagated for over 60 years, which gives the bourbon its silky texture and full flavor.
What proof is it? 107 proof, or 53.5 percent ABV, aged a minimum of seven years.
Is this the small batch or single barrel version? This is the older small batch version. Around 2019 to 2020 Baker's transitioned to a single barrel format at the same 7 year age and 107 proof, so these earlier small batch bottles are no longer produced.
How should I drink it? Best enjoyed neat or over a large cube; rich enough to serve as an after dinner pour in place of Cognac.
Where can I buy Baker's 7 Year online? Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.
