I've been waiting to write a review about Jim Beam for quite some time. Not because I haven't had time but because Jim Beam was the first bourbon I ever tasted and I wanted to make it a special post. Before I give you my completely biased review, here is a bit of background information...
I'd like to think many people remember their first encounter with hard liquor. For me, it was a one-sided massacre between a bad bottle of vodka and myself (a skinny and overly awkward 14 year old ). I was staying the night at a campground in New Hampshire with a high school buddy and like almost every young teenager we wanted to try and get wasted. Well, eight shots of crappy vodka later and we were undoubtedly on our way. Now combine those shots with two pulled-pork sandwiches and you can get an idea of what a horrible experience I had. I still won't drink vodka to this day.
It wasn't until college that I really decided to drink more responsibly - and by responsibly I mean buying a quality booze that didn't taste like the water from a dehumidifier. I wanted to avoid the fruity cocktail mixers and "flavored" spirits I knew many enjoyed. But as a poor college student my choices were fairly limited. The extremely unsafe liquor store I frequented was filled with racks of generic rum, expensive tequila, or the obvious: shitty vodka. And that's when I saw Jim Beam.
I had heard of Jim Beam before and I was amazed to see that the label read "Jim Beam" and not "Jim Bean" like I heard it pronounced by buddies in high school and college. The best part? It was $15.99 for a handle. I hadn't tasted bourbon before and hell I didn't even know what the word bourbon meant. I just knew I had to make a bold choice right there. So I handed the store clerk my fake California I.D. and purchased my first bottle of Jim Beam illegally. The rest was history...and I was hooked!
Some of my best moments in life come from being under the influence of Jim Beam (my AOL instant messenger "away message" infamously would tell all of my friends when this was true as it read "Jim Beam is the boss of my body tonight"). Jim Beam became so much a part of my drinking regiment that it actually inspired my friends to give me an alter ego. "Tim Beam" would come out every weekend and if you were lucky, on weekdays. Tim Beam would encourage you to take shots at 9am (and call you a pussy if you didn't), break things that you cared about, breaks things that other people cared about, and to make you take part in activities that would otherwise be considered illegal outside the realm of college. My lasting college memory of Jim Beam? Me wearing a pink tutu on Halloween passed out on my futon with Jim Beam bottle in hand and Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" playing on repeat in the background. Classic.
Classic memories such as the ones I shared above could not have been possible without a classic spirit. Jim Beam is just that and more. Many bourbon "purists" stick their noses up towards any Jim Beam product. Not me. For me, the light amber colored liquid is worth so much more than its inexpensive price tag and watered down flavor suggests.
It's a drink that inspires and motivates. It's a drink that makes boys into men and your breath smell like your 88 year old grandfather. To put in bluntly, Jim Beam epitomizes all that is right about America.
Oh yea, and that review I promised you? Here it is. Jim Beam: Honest. Simple. Undemanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment