SWISHY STUFF

I recently stumbled upon Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut Whiskey while looking into new products for my bar, The APK in London Ontario.

Bourbons and premium whiskeys are trending at the bar and we have been trying quite a few. 

This intrigued me- was it a new variation, a premium addition? 

Well- here’s what they say:

“As bourbon ages, a portion of the liquid is lost from the barrel due to evaporation—that's the "Angel's Share." After aging, when the bourbon is dumped out of the barrel, a certain amount of whiskey is left trapped within the wood of every barrel.
We call that the "devil's cut."

To create Jim Beam® Devil's Cut®, an extraordinary new bourbon experience, we developed a proprietary process that actually pulls the rich whiskey trapped inside the barrels' wood after they're emptied. We hold this barrel-treated extract until it develops the proper balance of bourbon notes, then blend it with 6 year old bourbon and bottle at 90 proof. The result: a robust, premium bourbon with deep color, aroma and character.”

When I was a kid we called this Swish! And the bootleggers loved to sell it! You add water to a barrel that was used to age whiskey and leave it until it absorbs the flavour and the alcohol residue. You “swish” the barrel to get at all the left-overs.

Hmmm- not exactly a Premium product. 

I haven’t gotten to trying it yet, but I have been assured that the flavour profile suggests that it is better for sipping!