Difference between Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s:
Jim Beam
It is a brand of bourbon whiskey owned and produced by Beam Suntory. This bourbon whiskey is the No. 1 selling bourbon brand in the world.
Jim Beam was founded in 1795 and has been operated by one family for 7 generations. The bourbon whiskey has been made to the same secret formula since 1795.
The 1st distillery was founded by Johannes ‘Jacob’ of the German family, Boehm. Later, the family name was changed to the more Anglo-American ”Beam.”
In 2014, it was announced that Beam Inc. would be purchased for $13.6 billion by a Japanese group of brewers & distillers known for producing Japan’s first whiskey, called Suntory Holdings Ltd.
Suntory and Beam’s combined liquor portfolio presently boasts the following offering:
- Midori liqueur;
- Bowmore Scotch whiskey;
- Suntory’s Yamazaki and Hakushu whiskeys;
- Pinnacle vodka;
- Courvoisier cognac;
- Canadian Club whiskey;
- Knob Creek bourbon;
- Maker’s Mark bourbon;
- Beam’s Jim Beam bourbon.
Jim Beam is available in over 200 territories and countries. The biggest consumers are:
- Australia;
- Germany;
- The United States.
Products
Jim Beam has a great variety of expressions, including:
- Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece, bouquet consists of brown sugar, sweet almonds, woody and rye aromas, soft and well-balanced whiskey with tasty notes of caramelized sugar and cooked fruits;
- Jim Beam Single Barrel, individually crafted bottles, which contain aromas of caramel, the master distiller’s signature, flavors of oak, vanilla and oak, nutmeg and toffee, medium length finish with hints of cocoa and oak;
- Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask, aged in smaller casks which infuse the whiskey with intense woody notes, soft and sweet palette which gives you a pleasant mouthfeel;
- Jim Beam Signature Craft, aged for 12 years in oak casks, sweet nose with aromas of vanilla, honey, smoke and cinnamon, sweet taste with flavors of vanilla and maple, marzipan, aftertaste lingers long in the mouth, comes with notes of smoke and vanilla;
- Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, complex and woody whiskey, is dominated by vanilla and oak, perfect choice, if you fancy sweet whiskey, and is infused with whiskey from the wooden casks;
- Jim Beam Yellow Label, won the prize for “best rye aged under 10 years” in 2010, and whiskey bible author Jim Murray loves this expression; it is a bouquet which surprises you with nutmeg, caramel, spices, and Italian maraschino cherries, long aftertaste and warm flavors, which reminds you of pepper, cherries, and lemons;
- Jim Beam Black Label, rich and complex whiskey, comes with notes of sweet spice, butterscotch, cereals and fudge, fruits, long finish with aromas of smoke and oak;
- Jim Beam Green Label, aged for 5 years and filtered with charcoal, smokey, smooth, an excellent choice for bourbon cocktails;
- Jim Beam White Label is the original from 1795, aged for 4 years in oak barrels, smooth tastes with hints of spice;
- Jim Beam Jacob’s Ghost White Whiskey, aged for 1 year in white oak barrels and filtered after; transparent whiskey which tastes like a day at the seaside and sweet cereals.
Appearance
The whiskey has a copper color, with thin legs which make shapes like robust, rolling hills on the side of the glass. It turns cloudy when ice cubes are added.
Nose
Quite sweet with notes of cut hay and vanilla, a little cereal sweetness, and a touch of corn fields.
Palate
Thin. Watered down tasting. Past that: a little vanilla, corn, pencil shavings, and more sourness.
Note – this bourbon whiskey is distilled using corn mash fermented in oak barrels. The long fermentation process (all Jim Beam whiskeys are distilled twice and aged at least 4 years in new, charred American oak) creates the woody flavor Jim Beam bourbons are known for.
Finish
It has a long finish of watery caramel, citrus, corn, and a faint bit of oak.
Jack Daniel’s
It is a brand of Tennessee whiskey which is owned and produced by the Brown-Foreman Corporation.
The whiskey is distilled in a process that gives it the title of a Tennessee whiskey, a term recognized by the federal government in 1941, about 80 years after Jasper Newton Daniel started distilling the stuff.
The story goes that Daniel learned the art of distilling from Reverend Dan Call and, in 1866, he bought the land (and registered) where the distillery remains even today.
While there are other distilleries that claim to be older, Jack Daniel’s is definitely the oldest.
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Interesting Facts
An estimated 250,000 people make the pilgrimage to the distillery every year.
Frank Sinatra, a legend and an icon of American music, was known to drink a bottle of Jack Daniel’s a day.
No one actually knows why the No. 7 is on the bottle of Jack Daniel’s, however, there are 3 rumors which claim that Jasper Newton Daniel:
- lost one of his prized barrels of whiskey for 7 years;
- the number 7 train was the one that carried his barrels;
- had 7 girlfriends.
Each warehouse holds 1 million gallons of whiskey, and there are 87 warehouses at the distillery, with 2 to three more being built every year. This is close to a billion gallons of whiskey onsite.
Jack Daniel’s is the fourth best-selling spirit in the world (in 2014, Jack Daniel’s sold almost $3 billion worth of whiskey), making it the best-selling American spirit, followed by:
- Bacardi (5th);
- Jim Beam (14th).
The parent company of Jack Daniel’s, Brown Forman’s second most popular brand, is Finlandia vodka.
Products
There are 4 different versions of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey:
- Tennessee Honey;
- Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel;
- Gentleman Jack;
- The Original Old No. 7.
Note – in order to create unique flavors to appeal to a variety of tastes, they differ in their mellowing process, ingredients, and their maturing process.
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Nose
The nose is very smooth, woody before the flavor launches into a mingling of vanilla, caramel, and the signature notes of fruit and oak.
Palate
Sweet, with a light mouth-feel and body. Dutch chocolate strands on toast, perfumed wood, orange touches, and cinnamon.
Finish
It offers a quick finish with a warm caramel finish which gives way to walnuts and white pepper.
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Bottom Line – Jim Beam vs Jack Daniel’s
The two whiskeys are manufactured in a similar way, although Jack Daniel’s is Tennessee liquor and it undergoes charcoal filtration, whereas Jim Beam is Kentucky bourbon and is distilled using corn mash fermented in oak barrels.
In conclusion, Jim Beam serves as a good foundation for mixed drinks and works well enough neat in a tumbler or snifter.
On the other hand, Jack Daniel’s Black Label (also known as Old No. 7) is one of the best-selling whiskeys in the world.
Regarding their price, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s averages $38.95, while a bottle of Jim Beam averages $26.
Interesting note – you can buy a barrel of Jack Daniel’s (equivalent to 240 bottles), and it will cost you around $10,000.
References https://www.jackdaniels.com/