Booker's Bourbon Batch 2018-02 Backyard BBQ

Rating: 17/23 N: Mineral, dusty wood, light vanilla, a hint of orange. Some spices that are sort of light and bright. Ginger, clove, cinnamon, black pepper. Or maybe black pepper before the cinnamon. Eventually a light note of Jim Beam peanut comes out. P: Fairly rich, but not super full. Surprisingly rich considering the highly mineral nose. It's on the bitter side, with notable licorice. There is some notable minerality here as well, but it's kind of a good, rich minerality mixed with some sweet water. Somehow it's actually a pretty good flavor. Some nice Beam peanut. A little peanut shell. Some spices, mainly in the ginger, black pepper, and clove spectrum. There's also some tart cherry mixed with some bitter herbs. It's slightly cloying (though not in a sweet way), but not too bad. The alcohol really is present here, though not as present as in Booker's Pigskin. There's also more going on in this one. Despite the kind of light profile, the flavors here generally taste good. It's a shame that there's so much alcohol though. F: Minerals with clean water, licorice, and ... not a whole lot out. It's an unfortunately short finish, though it's not bad. - Conclusion - Wild Turkey Rare Breed (18-19/23) is definitely better than this is, but not by a wide margin. I think a 17 seems about right here. I can buy an argument for an 18 and could be convinced to go down to a 16, though the latter is somewhat less likely. This is really not delivering anything resembling a solid win over George Dickel Bottled In Bond (16/23), so now I'm questioning whether this deserves a 17. Certainly, a 16 is back in play. I'm now leaning low 17. I'm sticking with that. Yeah, I'm now feeling that this is farther from the Wild Turkey as well because the Wild Turkey has more decadent fruit flavors. I also prefer Old Forester 1920 (18/23). Both have good some good flavor, complexity, and alcohol presence (and burn), but I'd take the Old Forester over this. They aren't that far apart though. Still, the Wild Turkey is much more decadent than this is. My Wild Turkey may have oxidized more into the high 18 or 19 range. On a final sip, this just isn't as good as the Old Forester, but it's also a bit better than the Dickel, which is a high 16. A 17 it is. Thank you @jdriip for sharing this!

I just found this one at a store a little out of the way from me. From what I can tell this is a slightly outlier Booker’s from other batches as far as the profile goes. But I’m excited to try it. The nose is sweet and rich with dried apricots, pear juice, syrupy caramel, dusty wood (like wood shavings), nice barrel char, and creme brûlée. Very pleasant nose, with notable barrel char and wood. Usually those are things I pick up more on the palate The palate is semi-sweet with some definite heat on the tip and front sides of the tongue. It has a medium bodied oily mouthfeel that is only slightly drying, which is nice considering the proof. There is vanilla, lightly roasted nuts, custard, charred wood and some dusty rye. The finish is hot at first with a punch of dried fruit that then lingers with smokey vanilla and dusty rye. The finish is very long, partly because your tongue will be tingling and slightly numb to reminded you of what you just sipped, with barrel char sticking around for quite a while. This one gets better as you get through the glass, which I always enjoy. I get why this one is named “Backyard BBQ”, it’s smokey and woody and would compliment with a nice smoked brisket or ribs.

This was a lower-rated bourbon for many as it did not live up to many of the fantastic Bookers batches released before it. It is, however, a supercharged Jim Beam, echoing the traditional mainstream whiskey with rich flavors and balance all its own. Nose: charred oak and sweet corn—it’s a more complicated and satisfying Jim Beam white label Palate: candied nuts, bright fruits, hints of butterscotch Finish: very warm and long when neat, but more approachable and sweet after several drops of water; it’s slightly drier than the nose and palate predicted but it’s a good balance, vanilla baking spices at the end, but still it’s a rather sweet finish A solid Bookers batch and if I were recommending a specific batch to Beam lovers to expand their horizons this would be it.

So Booker's is a favorite brand of mine and when I am at any location with a great whiskey collection I'll ask which versions of Booker's they have. Husk in Savannah had this so I had to try it. I'll admit I saw the score and saw this version is amongst the lowest Booker's scores ever. After having the glass I have to say, I don't understand that. So it's not among the best, but still very enjoyable. This is the most caramel that I've ever tasted in a Booker's. Salty, Peanut and caramel. Decent finish. Glad to have tried.

Coming back to this after a few months. If you like Bakers you’ll like this. Its profile is reminiscent of Bakers although that bourbon has a more consistent sweet bbq note. Nose: peppercorns, mint, hint of caramel Palate: vanilla spice and slight sugars but... Finish: short and dry finish Not the best Bookers has to offer but it’s a solid small batch. Reminds me of a higher proof Beam Bottled-in-bond. I prefer Bakers to this specific batch.

Coming back to this after a few months... Nose: candy corn, vanilla, fruity Palate: rich with sweet and bright, with spicy vanilla, hints of butterscotch; the oaky flavors are rich but not overly oaked likely due to the only six years of aging Finish: medium with some lingering spice. A dash of water brightens this bourbon up and reminds me a lot of Bakers which is probably my favorite of the Beam small batches behind Knob Creek.