As to whiskey being “softer”, I would say it is a perception thing. I find Jameson, for example, to be very burning and coarse-tasting, while something like Maker’s Mark tastes gentler. The height of the stills in distillation matters as well; lighter alcohols will make it over the top of short stills, while heavier are left behind. Also, in most cases higher proof spirits have much more “burn”, from the increased volume of pure alcohol. I don’t subscribe to the notion that alcohol is “tasteless” — as Ralph Wiggum says, “It tastes like burning!”

Thanks so much for your comment

I also find it strange that you find bourbon “softer” than Irish whiskey. Irish is triple-distilled and often a good portion of it is distilled to a very high proof, meaning that it has more alcohol and less grain flavour, which translates to a cleaner, softer-tasting spirit. Though bourbon is indeed sweet, it tends to be more robust and in-your-face because it cannot be distilled to more than 160 proof.

Anyway, I agree that Jim Beam Black is a great value and a nice whiskey overall.