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93Excellent

Little Book Chapter 7 ‘In Retrospect’

American Whiskey Beam Little Book
  • Distiller

    James B. Beam

  • Bottler

    James B. Beam

  • ABV

    59.05%

  • Age

    NAS

  • Price $100 to $199.99

Released in September 2023, this is the seventh chapter in Beam's "Little Book" series. Bottled at 118.1 proof, this is a blend of 4-year-old Kentucky rye, 4-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 5-year-old malt finished in applewood smoked barrels, 9-year-old Kentucky bourbon, 10-year-old Kentucky rye, 17-year-old Kentucky bourbon and 18-year-old Kentucky bourbon. The blend is made up of seven cask-strength whiskeys, one from each of Little Book's previous releases and a seventh new one.

Flavor Profile
Fruity & JuicyLight & MellowRich & OakySmoky & BoldSweet & Confectionary
American oakAppleBaked appleBrown sugarBurnt sugarButtercreamButterscotchCaramelCharHoneyMaple syrupOakOatmealSmokeTobacco leafToffeeVanilla
Suggested Cocktails
Aggregated Reviews
  • Raided Score: 88
  • Distiller
  • By Amanda Schuster
  • further accented by a dash of pepper and touch of leather. There's a slight waxiness to the finish (similar to some unpeated Scotches), with the tangy fruit and spice making a curtain call.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 94
  • Paste
  • By Jim Vorel
  • This reads much more “bourbon” overall than rye whiskey, especially when it comes to the sweetness, which some tasters may find to be a little overmuch.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • The Bourbon Culture
  • By Mike & Mike
  • For those that drink mindlessly (not an attack, I do it too), this will fool you into thinking it’s a bourbon. It’s only after you really sit down to study it will you pick up on the fact that the malt whiskey makes much more of an impact than you may have believed.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • Amongst The Whiskey
  • By Nick Anderson
  • A wonderful return to classic bourbon notes with plenty of vanilla to go around.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • Breaking Bourbon
  • By Eric Hasman
  • A fascinating blend of seven whiskeys finds a perfect sweet spot in the Venn diagram of complexity and depth.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • The Daily Pour
  • By T8ke
  • Little Book is well known to be the tip of the spear when it comes to wild ingredients, and Chapter 7 pays off with a hefty, balanced, totally great blend
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 95
  • Whisky Advocate
  • By David Fleming
  • Our highest-scoring Little Book to date.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 100
  • The Whiskey Wash
  • By Taylor Shiells
  • I can feel the effort that went into precisely tuning this mix to perfect every note.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 94
  • VinePair
  • By David Thomas Tao
  • “In Retrospect” may not be the best thing Beam has released in recent memory, but it’s a great reminder of Noe’s ability to balance novelty with quality.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 88
  • Drinkhacker
  • By Christopher Null
  • As always, it’s a strange and exotic whiskey from the Little Book crew, one which will doubtlessly be as divisive as it is conversation-provoking.
  • Read Full Review

Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.

House Review
  • Nose:

    Hefty nose with tons of graham cracker, oak, honey and toffee. There’s a lot of oak here. Heavy oak, a touch of smoke, pleasant barrel char and gobs of apple bake, toffee and crème brûlée.

  • Taste:

    Rich on the palate, loads of apple, oatmeal, toffee, char, caramel and butterscotch. I love the undertone of barrel char. There’s a good deal of oak.

  • Finish:

    Long finish, there’s a lot going on. I’m impressed how cohesive this is despite the wild complexity of the actual ingredients, but butter cream, maple, sweet oak, brown sugar, apple butter and tobacco continue on in this decadent experimental.

  • Overall:

    Little Book is well known to be the tip of the spear when it comes to wild ingredients, and Chapter 7 pays off with a hefty, balanced, totally great blend. Nicely done to eighth-generation Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe on this one.

  • Score:

    92

  • Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.

  • By T8ke
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources