Booker's Bourbon Batch 2019-01 "Teresa's Batch"

Here we go with not just my first barrel-proof bourbon, but my first barrel-proof whiskey period. Booker’s is a well-known one for bourbon fans and I’m glad I’m getting a chance to drink some. This one is 2019-01 “Teresa’s Batch” and clocks in at 125.9 proof(62.95% ABV) whew! Love the packaging, the great display box, and the bottle is really neat too with the simple label. Poured about 1.5oz into my Glencairn glass and rested a few minutes. Beautiful deep, rich gold color to this with some skinny little legs that take ages to form. Tasted and nosed neat, then after a few sips added a couple drops of water to explore it more. Nose: This is definitely 125 proof wow! Once you get past some of the early ethanol notes the nose really opens up. Some rich sweetness is the first thing I find in here, almost like a spiced-syrupy dense cake. Definitely some spice notes in here like cinnamon and nutmeg with a bit of allspice maybe, reminiscent of Christmas. Theres a hint of something I can only describe as a little nutty, maybe like peanuts. Very interesting and complex nose. Added some water later and the woody notes appear front and center. Palate: Amazingly rich and full of flavor. It’s got some heat but it’s very enjoyable and not overbearing nor does it get in the way of the whiskey itself. As you take a sip it opens up with the water in the mouth. Spicy and sweet, even more intense than those same notes on the nose. Some oak/char/barrel character on the back of the palate for sure. Finish: Long and lingering, it’s quite oily and nice. Like sitting next to a fire pit on a cold night this will perk you right up as it warms you from throat to chest. Long after the sip goes down you are left with some syrupy sweet notes and oaky barrel, just great. Value/Overall Opinion: It’s just my first barrel-proof bourbon, so I know I’ve got a lot more to explore. But, I really enjoy this whiskey it is quite beautiful. There are so many flavors to find in the nose and when you take a sip they just flood the senses. This bottle cost me $70 and I feel that’s totally fair for something this high of proof.; It’s pretty clear some care was put into creating this bourbon. Would definitely drink again and would buy again, but probably another batch to find what other tastes Booker’s can offer.

Nose is pretty standard for a Booker’s, which to me means astringency, caramel, and sugar. This is where it deviates from the Booker’s I’ve had before. So image your quintessential Booker’s body. Strip all the flavors out of it except caramel. Imagine your quintessential Booker’s finish. Strip the flavors and the mouth feel, and replace it with saliva-flavored pop rocks. You got yourself a Teresa’s Batch. I can’t really call this iteration a loss or a win. It’s miles from my favorite entry, which is currently 2015-06. But it’s not bad, it’s just remarkably bland when compared back to back with other entries in the Booker’s line. And that finishing tongue feel.... holy crap. I mean I’ve definitely never felt anything quite like it, and it’s definitely interesting. I feel like I could hear the Rice Krispies in my mouth. I’m honestly not sure who this batch is for. Your Booker’s fans will be let down by lack of depth. Your newbies are gonna be put off by the pop rocks. Overall, I’d say this one is worth a try but not a buy. Go in with a friend.

Huge fan of Bookers here but this one was wonky. Like wonky, wonky. As a person who looks forward to every release, this one was a disappointment for me. I’m not sure if it was due to the fact that they pulled barrels from ~7 different warehouses to make it, the best way I can describe it is that it seemed “confused”. Bookers is pricey and I expect excellent fermented corn water in the bottle for $80. This was very mediocre corn water. Vanilla, caramel, nutz, with a hint of confusion. I think the Bookers line is getting better with every release. Some of the old Bookers were, quite frankly, not great. However, most of the 2019 and 2020 releases were some of the best bourbon bottlings I’ve tried. Hoping Theresa’s Batch was the last of the weird batches and so far, it seems like that may be true.

The nose is spice forward with black pepper and baking spices backed up by charred oak, deep, almost burned caramel and a wave of vanilla flows over to help tame it’s harshness. The palate is powerful with a mouthful of pepper, rye and baking spices that hits every corner of the mouth with sharp, charred oak coming immediately after. There is a touch of cherry syrup that is almost astringent that chokes out the sweeter notes of vanilla. The finish is long and very peppery with the mouth buzzing from being full of spice as astringent charred oak fades in the corners of the mouth. It’s all a little too bitter to really be enjoyable but it’s a winner in terms of being a spice bomb. The finish isn’t exactly enjoyable so an invite for further sips isn’t quite there.

Nose: peanut butter, caramel, brown sugar, black pepper, heat and spicy rye, oak, wood char ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Taste: Intensly flavorful and mouth coating. Vanilla, oak, caramelized apples, a little grape, peanut butter, and white pepper. It really starts quite sweet and transitions into a thick, savory peanut butter note. I think the texture plays into that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The finish is a little tart and medium in pepper level, but much of the lingering flavors are driven by the heat. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Really an incredible whiskey. The alcohol heat lingers on your tongue for a long while, but is never harsh. This whiskey makes a very strong case for me to continue to explore cask strength whisk(e)ys, especially unfiltered. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 94/100

My review of Teresa’s Batch: *Box, bottle, and whole aesthetic presentation - no brainer; phenomenal *Nose - caramel, oak, warm, but soft, if that makes sense. Didn’t smell as strong as the proof would have you to believe *Neat Test - a lot of heat, salty peanut, vanilla, baking spice cross between cinnamon and nutmeg, good mouthfeel, and strong oaky finish *2 cubes seems to be my perfection zone for my palate’s liking *1-100 - solid 94 imo *Final Opinion - I don’t think a 100/100 bottle truly exists, and 94 has been amongst my personal ratings for anything I’ve tried. This has undoubtedly become my favorite non-wheated juice