Beam’s Eight Star is not available in California, it’s something I picked up for a few bucks while out traveling through bourbon country and thought would be fun to review. Yes I knew it was going to be terrible before I even handle the guy a $5 and got $2 back, but that didn’t dissuade me one bit. To know the good you have to understand the bad. It gives you perspective on what truly is a “Drain Pour” and what’s just on the low-end of mediocre.
In Jim Beam’s Words: Beam’s Eight Star
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I don’t know about you, but when a brand doesn’t even claim their own product it leaves me with very little confidence in it. Like I said above I wasn’t exactly overflowing with confidence in the first place, but when a brand doesn’t want to mention it I have even less confidence in it. So here we go, buckle in as we get to know the unclaimed bastard son of Jim Beam in the Beam’s Eight Star review.
Beam’s Eight Star Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam
Mashbill: 75% Neutral Grain Spirits & 25% Straight Whiskey
Cask: New and used casks
Age: NAS
ABV: 45%
Price: $3 (200ML)
Beam’s Eight Star Review
EYE
Orangish Copper
NOSE
Grits before cooking, sourness, boiled peanuts, rubbing alcohol and a new sponge. This is not a delicate dainty thing; it’s an ugly beast.
PALATE
Everclear mixed with 7-UP, dried corn, dried wood and an overall essence of rubbing alcohol. It tastes like rubbing alcohol smells, the aroma has permeated all of my senses.
FINISH
Short dry burst of toothpicks, everclear, dried corn and 7-UP.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
No balance, thin body and a watery feel.
OVERALL
Complex, interesting, nuanced, delicate and tasty. These are not words that could ever be associated with Beam’s Eight Star Blended Kentucky Whiskey. This whiskey is all manner of weird, but not in a good way; it smells and tastes like Old Crow mixed with Everclear and 7-UP that’s been wring from a sponge.
When Bukowski wrote about buying or stealing cheap whiskey Beam’s Eight Star, and it’s related blended American ilk, is what I think of. He’ll name Old Grand-Dad, Old Crow and others, but when he’s talking about the cheap stuff, whose only purpose is to get you messed up, he calls it “cheap whiskey” (which it is). The alcoholic poet mixed the cheap stuff 50/50 with water to make it more drinkable and it’s easy to see why.
The “overall” section of my handwritten notes just reads “Oh no… no… just no.” So kids, just say no to the Beam’s Eight Star. Unless you’re mixing it with Coke. It might work in that… or it might ruin your Coke… it’s likely to ruin your Coke. Cheers?
SCORE: 25/100 (F)
It’s funny, the 8✨ Has been winning the blind taste tests recently. I don’t know if it’s because we all have bad taste or if it’s because the half a bottle sat on a shelf for a year. People cringe when I tell them they just liked a sub $10 bottle. Word to the wise, only buy it in glass. It’s worth the price to have a cheap whiskey people seem to like at get-togethers. I can keep the good stuff in the back.
Any real drinker has found this working class gem. Nothing like an affordable drink after working. If you don’t like this cheap blend. You probably shave your chest, and need a Csection to take the spoon out of your gut.
I have a perfectly hairy chest and have no idea why any human would need a “Csection” to remove a spoon… people don’t birth spoons. I’m assuming you’re eluding to these people, like myself, having swallowed a silver spoon and needing it removed because we don’t enjoy drinking something that is 75% vodka and 25% of, literally, the shittiest barrels in Jim Beam’s warehouse added for flavor.
You know, for just a tiny bit more $$ (literally a couple bucks) you could buy Jim Beam white which is 100% bourbon and does not contain whiskey that’s so bad they had to add vodka to it to make it drinkable… just saying.
Good whiskey, mediocre whiskey and bad whiskey are all made by the same basic recipe. There is very little difference in any of it. Clever phrases are fun to read, but whiskey is whiskey. Cheers !
Gonna go ahead and disagree with you. See, Recipes are different from distillery to distillery as are yeast strains, fermentation times and storing conditions. All of which lead to vastly different flavor profiles. Then there’s blended crap, like what you’re commenting on, where they basically take vodka and blend it with some whiskey at a 80/20 – 90/10 mixture and call it a Blended American Whiskey. That’s vastly different from a straight bourbon or straight rye. But if you’re not picky and you see no difference I can’t argue with that and am glad you enjoy what you enjoy. Cheers!
Bought the plastic jug and enjoyed the whole jug. Pretty good whiskey and for a good price. Just because it is in a plastic jug and looks cheap, does not mean it is not good.
Beam’s Eight Star is available in California, although you won’t find it in many retail stores.
It is primarily marketed “for the trade”, primarily used as the well or house whiskey in neighborhood bars and restaurants.
Good to know. I’ve never seen it as a well in any of the L.A. bars I’ve been to, I always ask, but cool to know that it’s out there in that capacity. I typically see Seagram’s 7 used as the well or “blending whiskey” and I’d definitely take Beam’s over S7 ;) Cheers Barbara!
Lol . I’ve seen this locally on the bottom shelf . I wasn’t tempted to try it and now I know I won’t
Cheers :)
I have 2 sealed bottles of 8 Star from 1998… I was going to dump them,
but after the good chuckle of your review, I’m ready to try it ~ Hey it’s aged ;)
Haha, cheers Scott!
I have nicknamed it gut rot lol. Guess after work I going to go see Mr.8 Star Haha
Ha!
Haha. Ive drank good old 8 start for years. Mixed with some rip it energy drinks its my go to thing. Its more of a developed taste. Friends that try it always get disgusted or if they do drink it they don’t respect the 8 star and end up face down someone where, waking up forgetting what happened.. Anyway I love my beam its almost a second love..
If you like it you like it! Cheers Brian!
I have friends that drink this stuff like water. They have an old shop that they throw parties in affectionately called by their last name and the for mentioned whiskey”Griffis 8 star”. It’s some nasty stuff but they swear by it lol.
Well someone has to drink it :P
When I was in my mid to late teens, I was drinking way too much. I was a crown and coke adict. One night I was broke and could only afford the beam’s 8 star. That became my drink of choice. That was over 20 years ago, and as long as I’m drinking at home (where nobody can see me drinking the cheap stuff) that’s still what I drink. About a gallon every 8 to 10 days.
I bought this swill back in college. It was awful! And yes, I tried mixing with Coke and it absolutely ruined the Coke. (Although, what have I learned, a decade later and I’m sipping Mellow Corn.)
I’ll take Mellow Corn over this any day of the week!
” And a new sponge ” .. lol !!!!!!!!! I smoke a pipe and something like this brand would be ok to dip my pipe cleaners in to clean the pipe . A whooping 25 points … think I’ll run from this one . Enjoyed your review !
Pipe cleaner sounds about right!
Yep. He’s right. We are JB enjoyers when Beam was just Beam, and our go-to has long since been Beam Black (back when the 1.75 had a proper handle…a.k.a. Pre-acquisition). When one of our favorite establishments on the planet (CLR) started offering “Beam Hate, er, (apologize) “Eight”, we had to look it up. THANKFULLY, Josh, we read your review first (out loud @ the bar) before making a poor and uninformed decision. (Side note: we were willing to automatically try the “Eight”, as recent new lines of Beam Rye and especially our new fave “Beam Double Barrell” have been excellent). Josh is right. Head shaker. Why?????? Would the new owners of The Legendary Beam brand put this entry-level ‘rubbing alcohol/toothpick/stinky socks’ swill on the market for entry-level bourbon drinkers? YEE-gads. So not relate this swill to he real JB. Do yourself a favor and stick to Beam Black or Beam’s new Double Barrell. We only hope this apportion doesn’t take our “go-to” down with it. Josh, good on you. Bo hesitation here signing up for any blog or comments you offer. You were 100% on target.
Ha, well thank you. Cheers JB!
When you drink this commonly knowning its bad but cant beat that price i might habe a problem
Thanks for the chuckle, Josh. And for the warning!
Anytime Dan. Cheers!
Drinking it so we don’t have to! Thanks, Josh!
I love this review. Hilarious! Why do we [we, in general] taste something gross and then offer it, “hey! You have to taste this! It’s so gross!” I’m not going to waste my $3, but… nope I’m not. haha
I don’t know, but why do we taste it after someone says it’s gross? I do it all the time! Cheers!
Great review…..still laughing. You’ll need to follow that up with a good pour….
Cheers!
I’ll see your Beam’s 8 Star and raise you w/Wiser’s 18 y.o. Seriously, it’s what I imagine turpentine would taste like.
Is it weird that reading that makes me want to try it?
Us too
I drink 8 star almost everyday of the week.. that may sound extreme and probably is ha, that’s neither here nor there.. let’s not get off subject here… my point is I am a drinker, I have one drink. I used to swallow Jim Beam but it’s way to harsh… I have found smoothness in Beams 8 Star and myself saving a shit ton of cash, buck up and try it!
I did try it… that’s how I wrote the review. Or was that last part for everyone else? Anyways, glad you like it, that’s all thet matters!
I love the stuff! I drink it daily and it definitely saves me money (I can two bottles of that for the price of 1 bottle of Jim Beam or Jack Daniels).
This is hands down my favorite drink. Hands down the best cheap liquor I’ve ever drank
Cheers Clinton!