After Trying Every Single Jim Beam Flavored Bourbon, This One Was The Absolute Best

Jim Beam is one of the most ubiquitous names in American whiskey. Having been around as a whiskey distiller since the late 18th century, it has certainly had a chance to ingrain itself into the fabric of bourbon making. However, this amount of time has also given the distiller plenty of chances to experiment with new variations and flavors of its well-known spirits. With a whole roster of different whiskeys on offer, it only makes sense that some Jim Beam products will resonate with consumers' tastes more strongly than others. For instance, the single barrel option is a "bottom shelf" bourbon that's well worth the buy, while others, like the original Jim Beam, are bottles you should probably leave on the store shelf. But what about the eight flavored Jim Beam whiskeys? Which one ranks as the top choice according to Chowhound?

After we tasted and ranked every Jim Beam flavored whiskey, it was Jim Beam Honey that ultimately emerged as the victor. Our reviewer noted the surprising subtlety of the honey flavor as a welcome contrast to the saccharine flavors that you might expect from a honey-flavored product. This smooth selection was also the one that came closest to a "traditional" bourbon flavor profile. So if you're looking for something off the beaten path, this might not be it, but for a flavored Jim Beam product, you won't get any better than this.

By virtue of these bottles falling below the 40% alcohol by volume threshold that constitutes a true bourbon, these Jim Beam products are only whiskeys and can't technically be called true bourbons. That said, each of the flavored whiskeys is essentially a sweetened and (you guessed it) flavored version of a bourbon base. The flavors available in Jim Beam's range are pineapple, apple, peach, red stag (black cherry), orange, vanilla, Kentucky fire (cinnamon), and the aforementioned honey.

As for the Chowhound ranking itself, we took a few factors into consideration when placing each product. As we point out, there are certain notes already present in Jim Beam bourbon that will lend themselves well to certain added flavors over others. Traditional bourbon notes such as caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla are going to be effortless matches for the apple, vanilla, and honey-flavored variations. However, the flip side of this is that some flavors might not mesh quite as well, with the pineapple flavor bringing up the rear, mostly due to its sweetness, which may be a means of giving you more pineapple over the other latent flavors. It seems though that each of these whiskeys has merit in some capacity –- so whether it's the crown jewel Jim Beam Honey or any other flavor, your taste buds should be in for a ride.