Legent Bourbon confuses me because, for the most part, big brands are careful to use the proper names for things, yet everywhere I pull this up online Jim beam isn’t just calling it a bourbon, but calling it a Kentucky Straight Bourbon (see quote below). Which, as we know from the TTB Standards of Identity, it’s not either one of those. The use of ex-Wine and ex-Sherry casks change it into a whiskey specialty; bourbon can only touch new charred oak.
So, then, what exactly is Legent? On a technical level it’s a class 641 (whiskey specialty). On a structural level it starts out as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon created by Fred Noe – in as much as any whiskey at Jim Beam is made by Fred. He then worked with Suntory’s Master Blender Shinji Fukuyo to create the final blend of casks that would become Legent. Some of these casks were bourbons finished in ex-Wine and ex-Sherry casks.
The pedantic nerd side of me is a bit annoyed at how often they talk about it being a new kind of bourbon or being “one truly unique bourbon”, because it’s not a bourbon – it’s just a whiskey. To comply with the regulations they did state that it’s a “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Partially Finished In Wine and Sherry Casks” on the bottle, it’s the marketing that’s a bit… off. But enough of the nerdness, it’s time to stop talking about what’s on the bottle and start talking about what’s in it.
Legent Bourbon Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Legent™ is a landscape changing bourbon. It takes what you expect from a Kentucky straight bourbon, expands it and opens it up to a world of new ideas and possibilities.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam
Mash Bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-Wine, ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 47%
Price: $36*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy copper
NOSE
Oak, strawberry Necco, spice, roasted peanuts and bits of vanilla, fresh biscuits and green apples.
PALATE
Oak, char, peanuts, dark fruity candy sweetness, wine sweetness, caramel, candy corn, nuts and touches of roasted corn and spice.
FINISH
Med-long -> Oak, dark fruit, candy sweetness, nuts.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Nicely balanced, medium body and a silken feel.
Legent Bourbon Review: Overall and Score
It’s a decent whiskey. Aroma is a nice standard bourbon profile but bolstered by soft fruity candy notes; Palate is sweeter than the aroma and carries even more fruity notes; Finish is soft and equally rustic with nice dessert profiles.
Overall it’s sweet and a tad spicy with a strong oak profile supporting the whiskey from start to finish. As the Legent Bourbon opens it gets deeper and more interesting with more fruity and rustic notes blossoming. Not a heavy whiskey, but a balanced and fruity bourbonish whiskey. Wouldn’t be my go-to for sipping, but I can easily see its place on a bar shelf, in cocktails or the glass of someone who has a bit of a sweet tooth.
SCORE: 3.5/5
*Disclosure: The bottle for this whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Overall
3.5- Nose (3.5)
- Palate (3.5)
- Finish (3.5)
- BBF (3.5)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Legent Bourbon Review Summary
Sweet and fruity with supporting rustic bourbon notes it definitely holds to its tagline of being “one truly unique bourbon” – outside of not technically being a bourbon – and I can easily see plenty of scenarios for this whiskey to live in.
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