According to PRNewswire, Jim Beam has debuted the latest innovation in its portfolio—Devil’s Cut. The new, premium bourbon whiskey is created using a proprietary process that extracts the liquid trapped inside the wood of the bourbon barrels. The product is a robust premium bourbon with a deep color, aroma and character that showcases notes of wood, oak and vanilla derived from the barrel wood.
Devil’s Cut plays off the notion of “Angel’s Share” in the bourbon-making process. As bourbon ages, a portion of the liquid is lost from the barrel due to evaporation—that’s the Angel’s Share. After aging, the bourbon is dumped out of the barrel and a certain amount of whiskey is left trapped within the wood of every barrel. That liquid, and the rich flavors from deep within the barrel wood it contains, that has been extracted and put back into extra-aged Jim Beam Bourbon to create Devil’s Cut.
“The barrel is the soul of any bourbon—it always has been,” said Fred Noe, seventh-generation Beam family distiller and great-grandson of Jim Beam. “With Devil’s cut, we’re breaking new ground by unleashing that trapped bourbon from the barrel and giving people a chance to really experience that bold flavor in a way that they never have before.”
To create Devil’s Cut, the distillers at Jim Beam begin by emptying barrels of extra-aged, six-year Jim Beam Bourbon. The barrels are agitated through a proprietary process to pull the trapped bourbon and flavors from the barrel wood. The liquid (with the extracted elements it now contains) is then held for an appropriate length of time until it has developed the proper balance of bourbon notes. In the last step, this special liquid is carefully added back to extra-aged Jim Beam to create the finely-balanced, smooth 90 proof Devil’s Cut Bourbon.
“Devil’s Cut brings you even closer to the bourbon making process,” said Rob Mason, Director, U.S. Bourbons, Beam Global Spirits & Wine. “We think this is a product that both our long-time fans and curious newcomers will appreciate. It’s an opportunity to experience the charred oak barrel, which has always played a crucial part in making Bourbon.”
Devil’s Cut will be available in select states, (NH, PA, VA, WA, OH, NC, and OR) in May, and will go nationwide this summer for a suggested retail price of $23.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
