Hardin's Creek Warehouse Series Shows Microclimate Aging Produces Fantastic Effects

Of all of 2025's Jim Beam releases sent for review, I'll declare in this first sentence that the distillery saved the best for last with this 2025 Hardin's Creek Warehouse Series trio.

These whiskies were selected to showcase how microclimates–different warehouses, warehouse types and locations–shape those liquids' final character. According to a news release, "Each whiskey is shaped by the warehouse it calls home. Each (Hardin's Creek) expression is 110 proof and aged in Clermont for 11 years with identical (not disclosed) mash bills." The release credits eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe with oversight of this project. MSRP for each bottle is $149.99.

Each bottle 700ml bottle comes from a different warehouse and received a unique name: Warehouse R yielded the “Mushroom” bottle, Warehouse W bore the “Beaver” bottle, and Warehouse G's whiskey was dubbed the “Owl” bottle. I've copied and pasted Beam's descriptive copy that explains these given names.

Release No. 1: The Mushroom

Made up of one single floor, warehouse R is uniquely close to the earth–and with no windows or sunlight to pour in, it's as cool and dark as the underside of a fallen log. It feels like a place you might stumble across a fascinating creature, the witch's hat mushroom, thriving in the shade on the forest floor. The whiskey leads with oak and char, with notes of toasted sweetness, too. (It was stored on the east side of the warehouse.)

Steve's First Take: The nose on this is abundantly spicy and tropical-fruity, leading with ripe pineapple, a little ripe banana, tropical flowers and grated lemon peel. All the fruit carries forward to the palate in waves of spice and bright citrus. I prefer older Beam releases for their muscularity and punch, but this is complex, elegant and nimble in the glass. Though the finish is light and clean, it leaves me wanting more tastes. It also begs to be paired with grilled seafood.

Second Take: What? Did you think I drank it all? No! I have a wife to share these with and a bent toward fairness that says, "Give 'em all a second read." This whiskey is fruity and lovely. To think one can cook grain, ferment it until sour, distill it and age it in charred wood and yield something so appropriately sweet, fruity and balanced is just amazing. I'd never tire of drinking this bourbon.

Release No. 2: The Beaver

For almost a century, warehouse W has sat sturdy in its creekside location, its dense, five-floor construction enveloped in the humidity of the surrounding air. It feels like the kind of place you might find a familiar creature, like the North American beaver, setting up a lodge built to last where the stream cuts through the forest. This expression is lighter on the oak and smoke more than others in the series, instead leading with sweet aromatics. (This was stored on the east of the rickhouse.)

Steve's First Take: The nose rolls out strong with dark chocolate, charred oak and diaspora cinnamon (think cinnamon blended with a little wood ash) before shifting to Juicy Fruit Gum and, strangely enough, a whiff of beef broth. The palate is as bold as any whiskey I've drunk this year. Waves of cooked stone fruit (cherries, ripe peaches and apples) dominate the palate until prickly white pepper and allspice berries move in to dazzle. It finishes long and strong, warming and drying as it rolls down the pipe. This is a badass bourbon.

Second Take: The flavor is just as sturdy and rounded (OK, wine lovers, "orotund") as on the first pass, and it may be my favorite of the trio. For lovers of BIG bourbons, this is yo' thang!

Release No. 3: The Owl

At nine floors high, warehouse G is a rarity, as warehouses are no longer built so tall. Ours is one of the few standing, but enjoy such a towering view. It feels like the kind of place you might spot a majestic creature, the great horned owl, soaring high above the forest canopy as it keeps wise watch over the happenings below. The whiskey has an unmatched complexity, balancing notes of oak, char and sweet aromatics. (It too restored on the east of the rickhouse.)

Steve's First Take: The nose starts off subtler than its siblings', but it's still assertive with sliced ripe peach, fresh raspberry, spring flowers and almond cookies. A vigorous swirl releases the hounds of ethanol that bite at your nostrils, so I'd advise you let this one open up for at least 30 minutes before nosing it. Had I nosed it blind, I'd not have guessed it as low as 110 proof, but that's what the Beam notes say.

The palate brings forth a mixed bag of goodies: milk chocolate, cinnamon, cayenne, tobacco and toasted oak. The more I sip this this coquettish pour, the fonder I am of its mysteries. Its kind of like adding an amplified string section to a pop rock band; mixing classic and contemporary attributes to create a deliciously dissonant pour. The wood influence on this whiskey is simply amazing. No tannin, no drying, just savory-sweet goodness owed also to oxygen's terrific influence over time.

Second Take: That I wrote more about this than the others is because this runs all over the map. This is a pony you can't break today, but maybe he'll give in a few weeks from now; a lover who though you pursue, head fakes you like Lamar Jackson the closer you get. That it doesn't want to be figured out makes you want to understand it all the more. This is a fun whiskey, the life of the party who will give you a goodbye wink, but no parting kiss–tonight, anyway. Like I said on my first take, this mystery is worth trying to unravel.

Final Thoughts: If these three aren't all in my top five whiskies of the year, I'd be surprised. Other than this year's King of Kentucky Bourbon, I'm not immediately sure what else I've reviewed that's worthy of that lofty perch. This trio is a Beam masterwork, arguably the best whiskies I've ever had from this distillery, and I got to taste all of these side by side. What a treat!

In the interest of following BourbonBanter.com's review basics, these bourbons are all "BUY," if you can find them. If they're marked up to unaffordable, seek them out at a bar. But if you're up for a holiday splurge and find them, consider getting them. You won't regret it.