Booker's delivered a long light lingering finish. At Bourbon Culture, we decided that a 10 point rating scale was the most appropriate way to grade each of our whiskey reviews . Origin: Clermont, KY, U.S.A. Price: $60 for 750 ml. Youre greeted with that classic Beam cherry that has dark chocolate and brandy candy depth alongside clear Christmas spices next to a hint of menthol tobacco. The juice is rendered with grains from Texas and water from the ground beneath their feet, all imbued with a crafty Texas vibe in every sip. You must be 21 or over to enter this website. The juice is another classic that hits a little higher price point but pours really well, especially if youre looking for a craft Kentucky bourbon gift this year. The mid-palate explodes with heat that then mellows pretty quickly as the finish leans into creamy vanilla pudding spiked with cloves, leather, and a wet cedar vibe with mild cherry tobacco. The 2020 Bookers Bourbon batches have come to a close with this months release of the final batch of the year, Pigskin. And now that weve tried them all, it seemed like the perfect time to rank them. The warmth lingers pretty long but never overpowers and almost becomes something halfway between fizzy and buzzy as it fades, leaving you with a woody, bourbon vibe and a very late wet straw note. The whiskey is distilled and has the highest alcohol content of all other brands in the Jim Beam "Small Batch Bourbon Collection.". Where they're from: Booker's only releases barrel-strength, uncut and unfiltered bourbon and puts as much emphasis on the location of the barrels in their warehouses as anything else. The end is sweet to the point of a honey candy with a touch more of that apple but fades really quickly. The first release in this line for 2016 is here: Booker's Bluegrass batch. The crystal decanter has two eagles, one as a stopper and one that is blown into the bottom of the bottle. This has a mellow nose that ebbs and flows between soft maple syrup cut with cinnamon sticks, a light touch of brioche, new leather gloves, and bruised apples. While others rejoiced to drink bourbon at age 21, Booker was thrilled to start making the stuff. This brand new age statement released from Jack Daniels feels like a throwback to a bygone era in Tennessee Whiskey. The yeasts at play are delicate fruit, spice essence, and floral essence. The barrels ranged from 12 to 16 years old, making this a fairly old bourbon, all things considered. You think about it. Booker's "Pinkie's Batch" Tasting Notes, Via the Brand Color: Golden amber Nose: Balanced aroma of brown spice and vanilla The finish takes its time as the mid-palate cherry sweetness slowly dissolves into an old wooden garden box full of fresh dark potting soil bursting with fresh mint and spicy nasturtiums. 26 % Rostered. The mid-palate takes a turn away from all of that and dives into a candied cherry thats dusted with dark chocolate and a ground-up fruit Neco Wafer or Flintstones multivitamin (thats also cherry-flavored) before the finish gets this browned butter vibe with a touch of soft, sweet oak. Speaking of single barrels, youre probably only going to find these at auctions these days. After that release, pour this over a single rock or add a little water to really dive into the flavor notes. Order from the Largest & Most Trusted Premium Spirits Marketplace! Jim Beam. The fade is nice and mellow with more dried and red fruit leading towards a creamy veneer of spicy vanilla custard with a very distant tobacco vibe on the end of the tail. This really feels like a great place to start this list. The nose has a mix of honey next to buttery biscuits, rich vanilla, a touch of tart red berries, dry cedar, and a very faint hint of dry mint. Booker's Small Batch Bourbon Review Region: Kentucky, USA Distiller: Jim Beam Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley Cask: New Charred Oak ABV: 65.05% Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color Batch: C02-A-18 Price: $65 EYE Deep amber with orange accents NOSE This is a great classic bourbon nose. The Tennessee whiskey is a marriage of ten-year-old whiskeys aged in the lowest char barrels available, allowing more direct contact with dried wood rather than black char. We use cookies to improve your online experience. The sip ends quietly and fades quickly, leaving you with a nice touch of lemon oils next to dark chocolate powder and a hint of spicy stewed oranges. The juice then goes into the bottle uncut to help highlight the disparate yet similarly cozy flavors given by each of the barrels. Willett Bonili 24/94. Third floors, however, might make a difference. The taste veers away from that with deeply stewed apples that are almost a warm apple sauce with cinnamon, clove, and allspice kicking up some heat as minor notes of marzipan, cornmeal, and cacao lurk far in the background. There are no rough edges whatsoever and the whole sipping experience is like a silken dream. George T. Stagg Producer: Buffalo Trace Proof: Barrel Proof MSRP: $80 Why it's better: Simply put, George T. Stagg is the best bourbon currently being produced. The nose on this gently draws you in with mellow hints of cherry liqueur, dry cedar tobacco boxes, rich vanilla pods that feel oily, and a buttercream toffee candy thats more sticky than brittle. The finish is soft and fast with that spice leading back towards a leather tobacco chew. Sweet and dried fruits invite you in the nose as a touch of Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices. The actual barrels sourced for these single barrel expressions tend to be at least ten years old with some rumored to be closer to 15 years old. Plus, were looking at a one-off single barrel for around $50. Personal information provided to Whiskybase B.V. via the website of Whiskybase B.V. or by email, shall be used solely for the purpose for which the personal data is provided to Whiskybase B.V., for instance the reaction to requests for information. Im looking forward to trying this in a nice eggnog soon. Sure theres better barrel proof bourbons on the market, but its nice to know that any day of the week you can walk into a liquor store and pick up a bottle of Booker's and enjoy it when the mood hits you. While not necessarily inexpensive, Booker's does a nice job of delivering value to the consumer. Whiskybase is founded in 2007 with the goal to create the biggest resource of whisky information in the world. The juice is then just touched with Kentucky limestone water to bring it down to a robust 100 proof. . Salted peanut shells lead towards soft cedar next to a dose of vanilla and Christmas spices on the nose. As is the case with all batches, Booker's son Fred selected the bourbon for this release personally in an effort to uphold his father's standards. Buy Booker's Bourbon Online Buy Booker's Bourbon Online. The tasting for VinePair's 2023 edition of our annual bourbon roundup offered great insight into how broad and deep the category has become. Which brings us to the latest batch hitting store shelves, titled "Bardstown Batch . The mid-palate hits on a bit of dark spice, vanilla tobacco, and dark cacao bitterness. Alcohol heat permeates this barrel-proof monster. Their Discovery series continues to wow this year with another homerun whiskey that feels as special as it tastes. This years 20-year drop helped solidify the excellence of this expression. The nose is a classic mix of bold vanilla, baking spice, oak, and fruity sweetness. The MGP of Indiana (now Ross & Squibb) signature bourbon is comprised of nine percent 2005 bourbon with a 21 percent high-rye mash, five percent 2006 bourbon with a very high-rye mash of 36 percent of the sticky grain, 19 percent 2006 bourbon with the same 21 percent high-rye mash, 13 percent 2008 bourbon with that 21 percent rye mash, and 54 percent 2008 bourbon with the 36 percent high-rye mash. This tiny and new distillery was founded in West Louisville by brothers Victor, Chris, and Bryson Yarbrough. The finish builds on the sweet and dark fruits of the mid-palate towards an end thats full of bright cherry tobacco and small lines of cedar plank thats lightly singed on the edges. This is one of those bourbons that seems to get better with each passing year. Heres Our Review Of Cocaine Bear: Oh Hell Yes! It also makes a great cocktail. This bursts forth with bright red berries covered in rich and bitter dark chocolate with sultanas, burnt orange peels, and nutmeg-heavy French toast custard. Then whats the point of naming the batches? Theres really little more you could ask for. From February 2022. I fully admit that I dont always reach for this brand but this bottle made me want to more. So this is a small batch in theory and name more than practice. Enjoy looking through our list of best Bourbon whiskey brands. The end circles back around to all that sweet and chocolatey creaminess with a final slice of pecan pie on a slow fade. Grannys Batch recalls a woman famous for her highballs and nut cakes at Christmas time. Well done, Pigskin. Still, this was a great whiskey that I want more of and thats what this list is about. The palate amps everything up as the orange peel becomes candied and attaches to a moist holiday cake, dried cranberry and cherry, more dark spice, a touch of nuttiness, and plenty of that vanilla. One final word before we jump in, price and accessibility are not factors here. Wow - is this a sweet tasting bourbonboth literally and figuratively! Therefore, they are often times compared head-to-head. This bourbon is a pure classic that will feel familiar yet refined. Making his long-awaited Suns debut Wednesday night in Charlotte, Kevin Durant, playing on a minutes restriction, showed flashes of the dynamic playmaking combination he can form with Devin Booker. This was my favorite of the three releases this year. Booker's Limited Edition 30th Anniversary Straight Bourbon Whisky Kentucky, USA $1338 93 / 100 Booker's Batch 2014-01 25th Anniversary True Barrel Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey Kentucky, USA $2599 96 / 100 Booker's Batch 2019-03 ' Booker's Country Ham' Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey USA $500 94 / 100 Distilled back in the fall of 2009, this barrel-strength bourbon skips the Minnesota rye and instead uses North Dakota wheat with that NoDak barley and Kentucky corn. Its a striking bottle and only 199 were produced. It's stored in barrels aged on the middle shelves within Jim Beam's nine-story rack houses. Rating: 93: Style: Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey: Produced In: Kentucky United States . That caramel sweetness merges into a fresh honeycomb next to Dr. Browns Cream Soda vanilla flavor and pep while the fruit dries out, leaving you with meaty dried figs, dates, and prunes driving the midpalate toward the finish. The end lingers while it fades through salted caramel apples towards a mellow floral spiciness with a dried reed finish and a touch of vanilla tobacco chew. For example, the. He aims to create a one-of-a-kind whiskey with the guide of his master distiller father, Fred Noe. The best-selling bourbon in the world, ol' white label has held steady through thick and thin times. Barrell Craft Spirits is another craft blendery thats sourcing some of the best barrels in the game and expertly marrying those barrels. The palate builds on that cinnamon spice with a touch of nutmeg and clove that ties to a vanilla pudding-esque svelte body next to little pops of dried pecan shells, faux maple syrup, cinnamon toast with plenty of butter, more of that ginger, and a touch of subtle red fruit. Coming up in 2nd place is Ronnie's batch, adding in some notes like chocolate and peanut butter, light vanilla, I really enjoyed 2022-01 Instead, I found myself going back for more and more sips just to capture some additional flavor. Beyond that, this was a Travelers Exclusive up until the pandemic. The taste is toffee sweet but is countered by a powdered dark chocolate bitterness, marzipan smoothness, and plenty of that creamy citrus. The bourbons are two, five, and 15 years old. Booker's Bourbons are considered quite expensive. Its highly sippable and really blooms when you add a little water, so take your time enjoying this one. The 50 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2021, Ranked, GloRilla, Ice Spice, And The Carefree Black Girl Backlash, Karol G Tells Us About Her Most Personal Album Yet, Maana Ser Bonito, And Collaborating With Shakira, The Rundown: Between Cocaine Bears And Maple Syrup Heists, Margo Martindale Is Absolutely Thriving In 2023. The end takes its time as the whole thing comes together like a rich and boozy fruit cake as little notes of leather and tobacco spice keep things interesting on the slow fade. Imagine dark and sweet cherries smothered in rummy molasses with a touch of dried roses, nuts, and cedar all leading towards the soft almost wet tobacco leaf. If you do, treat yourself to a pour. Buffalo Trace. The mid-palate leans back into the dark stone fruit and sweetness as it only slightly dries out. This then morphed into the taste of aged wood and light leather. The finish takes its time as the tobacco spice and fruit slowly fade out, leaving you with a dry woody note and a touch of sweet and buttery toffee. However, Whiskybase B.V. cannot give any warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information on this website. Explore this storyboard about American Whiskey, Wine & Spirits . 9. For such a high proof, I was very surprised at how nice the mouthfeel was on this. Beyond that, very little is known beyond the age statement. I was lucky enough to get to sample a lot of whiskeys this year and narrowing all those drams down to 50 beloved bottles proved to be a little harder than expected. In all Pigskin is a custardy spice bomb with so many of the flavors that made the now-legendary Bookers 30th so great. In 1992, Booker introduced the world to s This new release from Redemption feels perfect for the end of the year and all the feasting that comes along with it. Thats just the nose. Our parameters for which bourbons made the list are simple: Thats all there is to it. The 15-year barrels are high-quality bourbons hand-selected by Beam. This is unique and just interesting. There are two types of Bourbon: high-rank (high-red dye) and wheat-grade (wheated dye). This juice is a field-to-glass craft whiskey from a state thatd likely be a better spot to age rum than whiskey. The Best Rare Bourbons for a Whiskey Drinker's Collection. Noe recommends drinking Pigskin, though, as temperatures start to drop a little and youre watching your favorite football teams this season. Freddie Noe hit this one out of the park. Before we dive in, a few notes: First, we're ranking bourbon brands overall here, not individual labels or releases, so, don't expect to see two different versions of Four Roses go. Bulleit's high-proof version of its flagship high-rye bourbon was conceived as a chance to taste one of the most beloved moonshines in the country straight from the cask. Taking responsibility for your own actions. As a result, its alcohol proof is significantly higher than the industry standard from 121 to 130.6. Booker's Bourbon 2021-04 "Noe Strangers Batch" The fourth and final 2021 release from Booker's, this iteration was aged for 6 years, 6 months, and 12 days, and arrives at a dizzying 62.2 . All Rights reserved. This thirst quencher was sourced from 6 different rickhouses with an age statement of 7 years, 4 months, and 14 days. But what can I say? Therefore no rights can be derived from the information on this website. The end is long and leans back into the fruit as the vanilla and spice create a silken mouthfeel. We forgive you if you cant keep up (we barely can!). E. H. Taylor Barrel Proof. The mid-palate leans into that sweet dried fruit/peppery edge as the pecans return in a bowl of Caro syrup and dusted with nutmeg-heavy eggnog spices and a final flourish of that wet yet fruity wood. While others rejoiced to drink bourbon at age 21, Booker was thrilled to start making the stuff. Barrel Proof, Batch #C06-K-8: Fredrick Booker Noe II was Jim Beams grandson and the master distiller at Jim Beam from 1965 -1992. The palate is pecan-loaded waffles smothered in butter and syrup with vanilla ice cream, light brown spiciness, and maple-infused sweet tobacco on the end. Booker's by Jim Beam is typically released 4 times per year, twice as much as the Buffalo Trace offering. The finish really takes its time as the thick juice coats your mouth, leaving you with hints of spicy absinthe, cherry tobacco, and dark roasted coffee beans. The nose opens with subtle notes of soft wood and worn leather next to light touches of dark berries, orange oils, egg nog spice, and slight toffee sweetness. This distillery-only release came out of nowhere and proved to be one of the easiest drinkers of the year. Those barrels were married and then bottles as-is with no proofing or filtration. Brough Brothers definitely has me excited for whats next from the brand. For now, this bottle is contract-distilled (distilled at a big distillery based on their own recipe/concept) in Indiana from a mash bill of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and four percent malted barley. The bourbon spent 12 months finishing in those old-school barrels before vatting, proofing, and bottling. . 61% of the barrels were stored . This is another one that grew on me. Since then, it lost 73 percent of its volume to the angels as it rested in warehouses C, K, M, and Q on various floors. That apple drives the taste with more orchard fruit (think pears) as the nutmeg really spikes and the marzipan takes on a rosewater note next to a very distant flutter of pepper spice in the background. Booker's bourbon is one of the few bourbon brands left bottled straight from the barrel. Order Booker's 2022-03 "Pinkies Batch" Bourbon online at sudsandspirits.com and have it shipped to your door nationwide. This draws you in with maple syrup, apple tobacco, resinous pine, and a touch of unpopped popcorn kernels. Experience the unique blend of Booker's Noe Pinkies Batch, a premium small-batch bourbon named after Frederick Booker Noe, aka Pinkie, who was known for his love for bourbon. 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