Recently, bourbon and whiskey makers have been trying to come up with ways to flip whiskey making on its side. The newest contender is Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut.
Devil’s Cut is a play on the term “The Angel’s Share,” the portion of whiskey that evaporates from the barrel during the aging process. The Devil’s Cut, as dubbed by the folks at Jim Beam, is the portion of the whiskey that soaks into the wood of the barrel during the aging process. It’s the Devil’s Cut that makes whiskey barrels so desirable for aging other alcohol – that bit of whiskey that seeps out and flavors whatever is aging in the barrel.
The Devil’s Cut is extracted using a process called “barrel sweating.” A portion of water is put in the barrel and then shaken and rolled to agitate the whiskey out and mix into the water. Then, a “proprietary” process is used to develop an appropriate balance of bourbon in the water over a period of time. The mixture is then combined with six-year-old bourbon to create Devil’s Cut Bourbon.
Since this whiskey has been embedded in oak barrels for who knows how long, you can expect a strong oaky flavor (or as Gary Vaynerchuk would say, the Oak Monster) with a sweet, spicy undertone (cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, etc.).
The big addition to Devil’s Cut from regular White Label Jim Beam is an aftertaste that goes on for miles. Each sip will stay with you to the next, and beyond.