Alcohol Name: Jim Beam Apple

Alcohol type: Apple liqueur infused with straight bourbon whiskey

Alcohol Content: 32.5%, 65 Proof

Price Point: Lower Shelf, $20-$25, found in most liquor stores

Nose: Apple, cinnamon, honey

Flavor Profile: Sweet orchard apple, warm spicy cinnamon, smooth honey

Bottom Line: This is a simple, smooth, apple-flavored whiskey that is sweet from start to finish. The lack of complexity is made up for with honesty and excellent flavor.

I am a big fan of all things fall. That includes apples and apple-flavored things. My wife and I grabbed a bottle of Jim Beam Apple and a bottle of J. Seeds Apple Cider Whiskey when we ran out of our Serpent’s Bite Apple Cider Whiskey and couldn’t find a replacement at our local liquor store. The Jim Beam Apple was about $23 and advertised itself as a sweet, juicy, apple-flavored bourbon. 

I usually enjoy my bourbon neat, but this goes well over ice as well. The nose opens up with exactly what you would expect – apples. You can smell the sweetness; and behind that, the spice of cinnamon and a hint of honey. I let the scent carry me to the local pumpkin farm I would visit as a child every fall. 

The first thing that hit my lips was the sweetness. It was almost too sweet before the cinnamon and alcohol warmed my senses and ebbed the candy-like apple flavor. The hint of honey and overall simplicity of the drink made for one of the smoothest whiskeys I’ve ever had. I compared this whiskey to J. Seeds Apple Cider Whiskey, which had the same alcohol content and, in contrast to Jim Beam, burned the whole way down. There was absolutely no trace of woodiness or graininess to the flavor – just simply apples, cinnamon, and honey. The finish left me with a lasting warmth from the cinnamon spice that reminded me of bonfires on a fall night. My wife then made a mixed drink for me – which she is an absolute wizard at – and concocted an elixer from the Jim Beam Apple, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey. This cocktail was honestly too good and I drank it way too fast. As it is, temptation is the birth of greed.

“Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing! And I have seen it only for an instant in the house of Elrond! Could I not have a sight of it again?”

― J.R.R. Tolkien

If you’re looking for an affordable apple whiskey, this is definitely a solid choice. It’s smooth from start to finish and can be enjoyed by itself or as a mix. The flavor delivers that strong apple profile you’re looking for and tops it off with a spicy warmth that lingers.

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