Jim Beam, the venerable bourbon maker, and Suntory, a Japanese leader in whiskey, both part of Beam Suntory, a spirits umbrella formed in 2014, have introduced their first jointly made bourbon. Kentucky bourbon distilled by Fred Noe, a seventh-generation master distiller at Jim Beam, includes some bourbon aged in wine and sherry casks, a technique more typical of the Scottish Highlands than of Bluegrass Country. Final blending in Kentucky was the work of Shinji Fukuyo, the chief blender at Suntory. Called Legent, the bourbon made its debut this month at a dinner for 200 people at which Caroline Kennedy, a former American ambassador to Japan, gave a toast. The introductory hoopla and the Japanese connection aside, it’s a user-friendly bourbon, smooth and spicy, with characteristic lingering sweetness at a relatively modest price.
Legent Kentucky Straight Bourbon, legentbourbon.com, $37.99 at Warehouse Wines & Spirits, 735 Broadway (Astor Place), 212-982-7770, warehousewinesandspirits.com; $33.99 to $49.99 (depending on ZIP code) for 750 milliliters, drizly.com.
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