Jim Beam Changes Bourbon

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Hi everybody! This is our opinion of the Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Infused Bourbon Announcement from February. You can also read our more recent review of how it tastes.

Breaking news in the wine & spirits world today, with the reviews popping up of Jim Beam’s Red Stag.

Wild Turkey American Honey started a trend that really needs to
stop. Now adding whiskey and honey to tea when I have a cold is a long
standing family tradition to help strengthen your immune system, so we do reach for the American Honey – with tea – when we’re sick.

Image from: The Bourbon Blog

With the announcement of Red Stag, a black cherry flavor infused bourbon, Jim Beam has done something that really should not have been done. I let cans of Beam and Cola slide. I even turned a blind eye to cans of Beam and Ginger Ale as some people prefer to mix their drinks. In fact, if Beam Distillers had decided to can the Black Cherry directly into the cola they might have had a product targeted at consumers who would want to drink something like this.

Sadly, Jim Beam makes some very nice bourbon drinks, Booker’s and Basil Hayden both jump to mind. This marketing ploy needs to stop before we have as many different flavored bourbons as we do vodkas.

My friend Jeff made the following simple 5 year plan for Jim Beam to regain the trust of bourbon drinkers:

Step 1: Discontinue this line.
Step 2: Apologize to loyal bourbon drinkers
Step 3: Don’t do anything this dumb for 5 more years.

If you disagree with Beam’s direction on this, please contact Jim Beam on their website here: http://jimbeam.com/contactus.aspx

- Kevin

Michelle’s 2 cents: While I see why Jim Beam is doing this (got to hit that young, trendy female market), I think doing it through traditional bourbon will only serve to scare away potential bourbon drinkers. At least market it as a liqueur. And while a Manhattan might always be my cocktail of choice (this might make a good Manhattan), I’m not going to buy a bottle just for a mixer when I can use regular ol’ bourbon. Sigh. You know, I love black cherry ice cream and black cherry soda. But those flavors have their place, and well, I doubt it’s in bourbon.

As far as we know, this has just been sent out as press bottles to various bourbon bloggers (not us). Once we get our hands on a sampling, we’ll let you know what we think. We’ll try (well, I’ll try – I can’t speak for Kevin) to be open minded and who knows? Maybe we’ll eat our words.