When whiskey is aged some of the liquid in the barrels is lost to evaporation, this is called the Angel’s Share, but some soaks into the wood and stays there. Beam has coined this the Devil’s Cut; which is where the whiskey gets it name. So how does Jim Beam go about creating their Devil’s Cut?
First they take barrels of whiskey that have been aged for at least 6 years, so they say, and dump them for blending. They then take those barrels and us a proprietary process involving water, mechanical agitation and heat to basically “sweat” the barrels and extract the bourbon from the wood. Then they add the extract back into the previously dumped whiskey and bottle it as Devil’s Cut.
Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Review
ABV: 45%
Age: NAS (6 years)
Distiller: Jim Beam
Price: $20
EYE
Deep caramel
NOSE
Smells like a wood shop, but under that thick lumber lies layers of caramel, dark fruit, Jim Beam spice, molasses, toffee, toasted nut, under ripe citrus and a mild astringency. I know adding the ultra woody extract from the barrels is the whole shtick for this, but I feel like the wood is overpowering something that could otherwise be quite pleasant.
TASTE
Caramel and wood battle it out with cinnamon chiming in from the sideline. That nutty character from the nose shows up with some dark fruit and leather in tow. Milling about in the background is some vanilla, a bit of yeast and that same astringency from the nose.
FINISH
Wood and caramel dominate the finish with hints of leather, cinnamon and raw sugar cane punctuated with astringent undertones that slowly fade out.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not a well balanced whiskey with the woody extract dominating the show. Thick body and a remarkable amount of heat for only being 90.
OVERALL
It’s woody as hell and after a bit that’s almost all I can taste. It’s not like the warm woody character of something like a Pappy 23 where the wood is soft and inviting. Here it’s very abrupt, in your face and accompanied by an underlying astringency that builds the more I drink. All this wood and astringency makes it feel unbalanced and is far from being something I would call a daily drinker.
SCORE: 78/100
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Jim Beam Devil’s Cut: Last Glass Update (12-08-14)
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So here we are at the end of the road for this little bugger and oddly enough, I like it a little bit more despite it’s shortcomings. Enough to bump it up a point and land it on it’s final resting score of 78. The wood has become a little more astringent and aggressive while the youthful factors have become a little more apparent. The heat has stayed consistent throughout and it continued to be a distraction in that way. Though a nice pie crust quality in the aftertaste has arrived at the scene and even though it seems a bit at odds to the rest of the whiskey it works somehow.
FINAL VERDICT: Not for me. If I drink it and don’t think about it, it’s nice and unoffensive. However, the second I start thinking about what’s actually happening in the glass, in my nose and in my mouth it all comes apart and the wood starts feeling false, like wood flavoring, and the sweetness, spice and grain notes feel and taste young. It just does not come together for me. It’s definitely not a whiskey I have any desire to purchase again except to make cocktails with, because honestly, it does make a decent Manhattan.
Oh forgive me Josh! But I found a little splash of cola elevated this bottle. I really wanted a vanilla-like finish. Nada. A little sweetness made it a good mixer.
And thanks to Whiskey Jug community for the cooking suggestions!
Nothing wrong with a whiskey and soda! Cheers Robert!
Man
I tried Devils Cut for the first time an really impressed.
The aroma is great and I really like the fruitiness that comes off the woodbarrel. It somehow taste like you are eating fresh vanilla fruits and caramel with some nuts off a wooden spoon dipped in whisky. I drink four roses and gentleman jack most times plus some buffalo trace but wow this may go in the line up.
Nice, glad you’re loving it Carlos, Cheers!
Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Review
I liked it okay. The wood does hit hard but I found it went down warm and smooth. at the end to the day it is not my favorite but I will try the Manhattan sometime. Life is too short for just okay.
“Life is too short for just okay.” <- Amen to that Donald, cheers!
Whiskey lover
Jim beam devils cut is my favorite of the jim beam whiskeys. I like it warm or cold and I love the warmth I get from each sip. I keep a bottle in my home at all times. I like makers mark 46 as something different once in a while and my favorite is four roses single barrel.
Awesome, glad you like it, Michael. Cheers!
Picked up a handle for 35 bucks at the local mom and pop. I like it, but it’s not knocking my socks off. I’m generally a Peated scotch man but I enjoy dabbling in bourbon when the cooler fall weather rolls in. I’m somewhere between Josh and those who love it. I’d give it an 80 to 82. Massive oak bomb, which I would hate in the summer, but when the temps drop to the 40s, 50s, and 60s in Northern Michigan, I begin to enjoy Woody bourbon a bit more.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts here. Normally I like those perversely oaky whiskeys, but there’s something just a bit off with this one, though I do love it in an Old Fashioned. That big oaky kick in there is just fantastic. Thanks for sharing Andrew, cheers!
Regular Jim Beam is not great, but not bad. The Black is very good. Cask Strength is my favorite Jim Beam product made-it is outstanding! Devils Cut is also very nice-my second choice in the JB lineup. I don’t have the palate to notice any of the notes and flavors other describe.. I just like to try other bourbons and this one is excellent.
At the end of the day that’s all it’s about man. Drinking what you like and if you like this, more power to you man. Cheers Dean!
Also strongly disagree. The oak, no matter how they derived it, is a treat, and I’m glad this bottle is priced as Jim Beam Black. Holds up on ice, and a few minutes with a rock helps lose the astringency. Then the Beam yeast flavor imparts to rich, sweet fruit flavors, All atop that tasty oak base. My daily pour!
Mix with Coke if you don’t like it, but I really enjoy it, and wish more distilleries worked to get the barrel flavors out any way possible.
Call me a termite ; I like wood-influenced bourbon. For 21 bucks it’s not bad at all.
We love the Devils Cut! It has taken over the entire Bourbon debate. When we go fishing, we go with the Devils Cut! Daily would be preferable….
Liking what you’re drinking is all that’s important. Cheers JBA!
I’m going to stick a cork in the rest of it and see what happens after a couple of years.
A lot of the barrel; but it works.
First taste struck me as pretty good . More distinctive than, say the Beam Single Barrel. My palate prefers a lot of oak presence in bourbon at this time anyway.
We just used it in Bourbon chicken and rice excellent flavor.
That sounds great, it’s a great cooking whiskey for sure. I’ve used it in making BBQ sauce many times and also in making desserts like bourbon brown sugar glazed peaches and brown butter bourbon ice cream :)
Cheers!
It does make a good hod toddy
Boys I’ve always been a Jack Daniels man. One of my salesmen bought me a bottle. Tried it last night. also let me preface this I am in no way shape or form a Jim Beam man. Not a fan. This on the other hand did for me what Jack gave up years ago and that was the 90 proof “bite” I enjoyed it. Probably will buy more at some point. Not disappointed at all. Jack I feel cut its throat long ago. Went through the distillery last year and ask why the reduction of proof. I got the answer of the customers requested it. My answer was didn’t get that survey…cheers everyone
Tried some of the Devil’s Cut offering today and all I can taste is oak and vanilla. It’s not offensive and I feel like the bourbon is tame for the proofage. If you like your bourbons on the sweeter side I think you’d like it. If not you probably would find it to simplistic. Either way, I am happy with it at the price point.
Picked up a flask for $13. I think it’s tasty. Ice helped bring out some flavors. It does fall a bit flat after pushed down the throat but it’s a good solid drink. Now, if I could only find Mila Kunis to share it with…….oh well. I’ll open my 2007 EW PR. Cheers!
Ha, cheers!
I gave this one a try over the weekend. Picked up Devil’s Cut because I saw that it won a Silver Medal in this years SFSC World Competition. I always like to pick up something new, try it, then check out this site to see what others think. I probably should do it the other way around, but I to remain unbiased before the tasting.
Trying neat…the nose was woody and pleasant, no overpowering alcohol bite. On the tongue, lots and lots of oak, some caramel and vanilla trying to come through….then nothing. For me, there was no finish…it’s like it had evaporated on the palette. I was rather disappointed.
Later, I added a couple of cubes of ice. The hint of water brought out more of the caramel and vanilla notes and some of the spices while it tempered the woody effect. Overall, I probably won’t be buying this one again. But it answered the question of what all the fuss was about. With lots of marketing (like Beam does) it will sell it’s share. But really, nothing to write home about. Cheers and thanks for this great site!!
Cheers and thanks for sharing your experience. I always love reading other people’s take on the whiskeys I try!
Idk maybe I’m nuts. As I sit on my patio on this nice Pennsylvania February afternoon strumming the acoustic and sipping some Devils cut … I like it. Definitely not in the same league as buffalo trace or WT101 for the same price point. But I’m not mad at it.
If you like it you like it and that’s the important thing.
Cheers!
This one was just okay for me neat, but I thoroughly enjoyed it on the rocks (not like I normally take ice in my whiskey, one large chunk, but in an ice filled tumbler). Ice melt brought out enough sweet notes to balance the wood. This would make this a good summer bourbon except for the fact that every time I think about picking up a bottle, I see all the other/better choices available to me in the $20-$25 range.
Bourbon brown sugar sauce sounds wesome!
Mind sharing the recipe?
I do it by eye to see when it gets syrupy. I start with 1/2 cup of bourbon, add 1 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of butter and let it simmer down. If it’s too watery I add more brown sugar and keep simmering till it gets syrupy and then I let it cool and pour over… whatever :)
Tried your sauce over some roasted Brussels Sprouts. Awesome… I did add a pinch of cayenne for a little heat, but otherwise followed yours word for word.
Awesome man, glad you liked it and now that you mention it some Cayenne would indeed be a nice little addition.
Cheers Ben!
That sounds like it would be good poured over vanilla ice cream.
Probably. I like cooking with it, it’s awesome as a cooking bourbon.
I’m glad it isn’t just me. I’ve tried to like it because I like the idea behind it. Usually I’m all about the earthy and woody palate, but Devil’s Cut is too astringent indeed, not smooth, and doesn’t even sit well in the gut. I’ll try to use it up in cooking.
I used it to make a bourbon brown sugar sauce to put on Ice Cream and used it in some BBQ sauce and it works great for those things.
Josh I’m w/you on this one. I’m not a sophisticated whiskey consumer, but I know what I like and don’t like when it hits my palate and this one didn’t do anything for me. Like I said I’m not sophisticated but there was something that was just not “quite right” about it. Maybe it was all the wood you mentioned. I finished the bottle because well, I’m a drinker but I don’t think I’ll be purchasing this again. But its always fun to try something with a little bit of a new twist however.
Knowing what you like and don’t is the most important thing there is in whiskey so I’d say you’ve got it right! I see a lot of people who like things only because they thing they should like them and it’s sometimes hard to divorce yourself from hype, so in that aspect I’d say you’re ahead of the curve :)
Cheers Bryce!
Strongly disagree… See what I did there? I love this whiskey as a daily drinker. In fact, it’s converted me to a Jim Beam drinker. I agree that it’s surprising that it’s only 90 proof. It has the bite and heat of a stronger whiskey, which means you get to drink a little more without sacrificing the feel of a stronger bourbon.
Disagreements are good, the only thing that matters is that you get to drink what you like. Cheers!
….frankly, I never was much of a bourbon lover, but when ‘the cocktail hour’ is on my agenda, I find nothing else will suffice. With age comes wisdom, at the young age of 62, I know what I don’t want. I choose not to waste my time.
So, consistantly, with this delightful amazing craving, I actually found myself seeking out liquor stores that offer Jim Beams Devil’s Cut Whiskey. Nothing else will do. I appreciate my taste, as do my dear friends.
If you like it you like it. Cheers Kimi!