Fruit cake | Strawberry | Melted caramel | Vanilla extract

Sweet oak | Cream soda | Cola | Toffee | Espresso bean | Faint apricot

Dry oak | Raisins | Molasses | Brandy | Roasted pecans | Cereal malt

After Beam Suntory gave Baker’s a facelift in 2019, moving to single barrel offerings and releasing its first ever high-aged limited edition release, things have remained a little on the quiet side for the brand. Beam looks to fix that this year with the release of an “Exclusive Selection” that sports an uplifting 11 years and 8 months age statement.

Much of the usual Baker’s notes are present once again, and are nicely balanced with one another. The sweet oak and cream soda on the palate, and raisins, molasses, and brady on the finish are nicely balanced against the bourbon’s darker espresso bean, dry oak, and roasted pecan notes. With its near-perfect intensity, it’s able to beautifully showcase its age without going overboard in any one direction. This particular single barrel is a bit more showy than what I usually get with Baker’s, and I have to say, I like it. Even with the brand redesign, Baker’s can sometimes feel forgotten about, but with more great single barrel releases like this year’s Exclusive Selection, that will change and help elevate the brand to new heights.