Jim Beam Pineapple Review: This Bourbon Shines With Its Tropical Touch

Jim Beam knows bourbon. Given that the history of this brand stretches back to an 18th-century corn farm, that's no surprise. But pineapples aren't easy to grow in Kentucky, so the new Jim Beam Pineapple represents a little bit of purview expansion. Adding to that, this new bottle is not solely a whiskey, though it is a whiskey-based beverage, and we seem to be expanding even more, or at least extending the expansion found in previous editions of the Jim Beam Flavors.

To find out how well this sweet fruit blended with the sweet grain to make sweet music together, I took a sip of the new bottle, tested a few ways of serving it, and wrote down my thoughts. Proceed without caution; no Margaritaville music awaits you, though an off-beat margarita itself might. It's not going to become the thirteenth type of pineapple, but it might inspire you to garnish the drink with one.

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Jim Beam Pineapple is the latest offering from the Clermont, Kentucky distiller, who is no stranger to this market. The brand's Flavors line offers several other whiskey-infused spirits with distinct tastes, such as apple, peach, and honey. Pineapple is the newest entry into this branch of the Beam family, and its versatility stems straight from the difficulty to categorize it properly. It's not legally sold as whiskey, though you could certainly drink it as such. However, it's not really an RTD since it's more like a pineapple spirit with a whiskey base than a full-fledged cocktail. You'll find that it works best in simple cocktails that you can whip up at home, but it's certainly enjoyable on its own. While the phrase flavored whiskey might raise eyebrows at the TTB and among Beam-Suntory lawyers, it's probably the best ad hoc term for discussion.

With an ABV of just 32.5%, Jim Beam Pineapple has a much lower alcohol content than the standard bottle of whiskey. In fact, it comes in below the 40% alcohol (80 proof) level required for a whiskey to be officially bottled as bourbon. The classification is not a problem for this drink, which already eluded the definition by blending pineapple liqueur with straight bourbon whiskey.

Jim Beam Pineapple is available nationwide, while the suggested retail price for the standard 750-milliliter bottle comes to the affordable $20, though your local price may vary a bit. Given that this is best employed as a party favorite that can zhuzh up a variety of drinks at barbecues or similar summer gatherings, we can say it's a good deal.

This fruity is ideal as something the guests can bring to a casual gathering, and it doesn't have to be anyone's favorite to be everyone's enjoyment. After all, not every occasion is suitable for premium bourbon or to pop open one of those rare bourbon labels that usually come with a high price tag. Sometimes, the party calls for a light mixer that is compatible with anything and everyone. However, for this type of drink, you still want it to deliver character and flavor.

Though I realize that this might sound like an ad copy, the best summary I can offer for Jim Beam Pineapple is strong, simple, syncretic, and satisfying. But, let's take it to the taste test.

Not a person among you will be surprised to hear that the aroma of this pour is dominated by pineapple. I might be imagining a touch of coconut thanks to dreams of cocktails to come, but I am convinced that this bottle is going to get poured into whatever weird piña colada variation I can concoct.

But here's the thing: the aromatics are not strong or artificial like those you might find in pineapple-flavored candy. Jim Beam Pineapple has an aroma of real pineapple. You can detect the muskier pineapple skin in the aromatic profile, which had me wondering if perhaps some genius made the liqueur using canning leftovers or some byproducts that would otherwise go to waste. I don't have any strong evidence for this, but I wouldn't be surprised if the liqueur part of this product was made with real pineapple trimmings, not just zombified concentrate juice.

When you get to the tasting, there's not much change, and that's fine. Pineapple carries the day here. It's kind of funny how much it reminds me of peanut butter whiskey. It has such a strong taste that it pares down the whiskey to its purest taste, allowing only minor notes to show but without disrupting the dominant profile. I tried it with water, which doesn't change the nose at all but does make it a touch sweeter and slightly more oily. Ice has a similar effect, mitigated slightly by watering it down. All in all, this is pineapple with whiskey, and in that regard, it's good.

To really give it a go, I enlisted a whiskey connoisseur who eschews flavored whiskeys as my co-taster, and even she said with a good-natured begrudge, "I don't hate this" as she poured her third. While variations are endless, and you could surely easily whip up a colada with some coconut milk, we found that a superior twist is to use it to spike coconut seltzer. In this version, the best qualities of a piña colada remain minus a few hundred calories for all-day sipping. I expect it would also go great with fresh mint and/or cola. Pineapple derby julep, anyone?

At $20 per bottle, you can expect that you're not buying complexity, but you still want flavor intensity. With Jim Beam Pineapple you get exactly what you're buying, and it's a pretty good value. As it stands, this is a delightful warm weather pour whose strong pineapple flavor goes well with far more mixers than you think it would. And you really can't lose money on it. It's nice to see a party pour done well enough that you'd also drink it at home and on your own. Don't worry, the Jim Beam Private Barrel Club will still be there when you're ready for something hard-hitting.