Showing posts with label Booker's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Booker's. Show all posts

Monday, August 10, 2015

Booker’s 2015-03 “The Center Cut” Review

If you were to take a poll of most well received bourbons currently on the shelf today, Booker’s would be in the hunt for a top spot. In a time where age statements are dropping like flies, prices are continuing to rise, and premium bottles are becoming increasing more difficult to find, Booker’s is a product that continues to spit in the face of all those trends.
Until recently, Booker’s releases have just been a batch code with the exception of a couple of limited editions. This applies even to the “roundtable” batches from 2014 that were selected by panel of industry “experts”. That all changed this year when Beam upped their marketing game for the brand and is now giving every batch a special nickname. In the bourbon nerd circles this move was met with some eye rolling as it was obvious Beam was trying to play up some sort of special release nature to what would be the same Booker’s product that’s always been available.
Eight months into the year and I think we all have to hand it to Beam-Suntory as their strategy appears to be working. It seems a week doesn’t go by lately without someone popping up on one of the bourbon social media groups to ask about the new “special” Booker’s release. You have to imagine that for every person who makes one of those posts there are hundreds more who are buying the product with the same idea.
All the marketing fluff aside, here today we have the third batch released this year named “The Center Cut”. The name comes from Booker Noe’s favorite warehouse location which is where the barrels for Booker’s are sourced.
bottle
Aged 7 years; 63.6% ABV; $60; Distilled by Beam
Nose: A blast of sweet caramel corn and light spice. There is a good amount of woodiness. It runs slightly warm but overall a very nice nose.
Taste: Tastes a lot like the nose - lots of corn and caramel with a hefty dose of wood. A little youth comes through with some new-make type fruity mash flavors and there is also some of the typical Beam nuttiness. Think caramel corn banana sundae topped with peanuts and a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Towards the end of the palate some smoky char comes in along with heavier rye spice and something I’ve never tasted in Booker’s before - an earthiness that is almost like dirt? That last part is rather strange but I’ve tasted it each of the 6-7 times I’ve visited this bottle.
Thoughts: While it’s no more special than any other Booker’s release, this is a good whiskey. I’ve had a couple of batches lately that I thought tasted a little more young but this one has a more mature taste which brings some depth that I’ve been missing in the product lately. The earthiness that depth brings puts it a little out of balance for me but overall it’s a solid representation of everything Booker’s represents - a brash, unapologetic bruiser of a pour that hits you in the mouth with classic bourbon flavors.
Rating: B / B+

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Booker's 25th Review

Booker’s is barrel strength bourbon conceived in the late 80’s by the grandson of Jim Beam, master distiller Booker Noe. It was initially only offered to friends and family as a single barrel product but due to popularity it became publicly available as a small batch in the early 90’s. While the standard offering of Booker’s is typically aged 6-7 years, the commemorative release comes in around 10 years old. Per Fred Noe, current master distiller and son of Booker, the 25th anniversary release contains some of the last whiskey to be barreled under his father’s watch before his death in 2004.


Aged 10 years 3 months; 65.4% ABV; $100

Glencairns make for great pictures but they are a terrible idea for nosing this whiskey as it breaths far too hot. Clear bottles also make for better pictures when they are full but the fill level here is not where I am writing this review. The majority of my notes will be coming for the tail end of this bottle which is a vast improvement over the beginning.
On the nose from a regular rocks glass you’ll get some sweet candy nuttiness like roasted honey peanuts but it’s hard for even a proof junkie like myself to get past the heat. The taste is heavy on the sweet side with lots of warm caramel, nutty fudge, and also a little spicy cinnamon. If you look deep enough you’ll find more complex flavors of leather and tobacco notes alongside the sweet and spice but those notes are minor. Normally with standard Booker’s I get a lot of young wood upfront but here the oak comes in more at the finish and is deeper with more of a tannic quality.
Thoughts: The first and last pour out of this bottle were dramatically different. The first was an absolute mess - overbearing classic Beam nuttyness and hot alcohol which I would describe as molten peanut butter. About midway through it took a turn for the better but I was still struggling to justify how much better it was than the standard release. Now that it’s in the bottom 1/3 I’m seeing a remarkable improvement over standard Booker’s. It’s still got remnants of the standard profile but it also has more oak complexity, less heat, less harshness, better sweetness, and less of the nuttiness that I don’t usually like in Beam products. It’s pretty apparent the extra few years in the wood have helped smooth out what is usually a younger more savage pour. I don’t know that I would consider it in my top 5 whiskeys from 2014 but it is pretty good.
Rating: A- / B+ 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Booker’s (Batch C06-B-15) Review

63.55% ABV; Aged 7 years 3 months; Batch# C06-B-15; $60

Nose: Lots of hot fire. I had to let it breath about 10 minutes. After it aired out I get vanilla, sweet brown sugar, and believe or not, pancakes. Bourbon pancakes!
Taste: Spicy rye and heat punches you in the mouth but then a rush of caramel sweetness. Lovely balance of spice and sweet. 
Finish: Slow, long finish. sweet caramel and maple syrup, spicy sharp mint, slight resiny oak and a good bit of barrel char. Bitter citrus. Then a pleasant deep rich dark cocoa lingers. Burn is pretty deep which prolongs the finish. The classic peanutty Beam yeast flavor is very pronounced which with the dark cocoa I liken the lasting flavor here to chocolate peanut butter. 
Notes: Man, we've got a live one here. This guy is a fire breathing monster. I know Booker Noe felt 7 years was the perfect age for a bourbon but I would love to see what this guy tastes like after a few more years in the wood. It’s really great but not quite as drinkable at proof as some of my other barrel strength favorites like Colonel Taylor or Elijah Craig. I was still able to power through without adding any water which is my litmus test for a good barrel proof whiskey. The flavor was sweet and rich enough that I couldn't bring myself to cut it. It’s a damn fine bourbon and something I will probably always keep stocked.
Rating: B / B+