Booker's Bourbon Batch 2022-01 "Ronnie's Batch"

Uncorking 🍾 Let sit for about 5 minutes. 👀: Dark mahogany with a little sunset, some ocher, whiskey definitely passes the legs test (sticks to the Glencairn walls); 👃: Ooh some melted and burnt caramel notes, strong ethanol burns my nose hairs, cherries, possibly cherry coke, root beer tingles, oak and vanilla are there but not at the forefront; 👅: Fizzy cola, caramel continues into the palate, the oak comes out and you taste it, vanilla also, a little kettle corn at the end; 🏁: Short finish, short but beautiful, definitely a good one.

Mahogany color. On the nose I get dark cherries, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, raw cinnamon stick and some sweet oak. The mouthfeel is velvety, slightly oily and warm. The palate has more brown sugar and cinnamon, vanilla bean, butter toffee, and boiled peanuts, with hints of black pepper, allspice and dried figs, and just the right amount of oak. The finish is medium-long and hot, slightly drying, led by the oak and baking spices, with really none of the sweet elements from the nose and palate.

NOSE Oak, brown sugar, vanilla, roasted nuts, Bananas Foster, some coppery dried dark fruit, and a tad yeasty. This is closer to Booker’s batches from a few years back, heavy on the oak. PALATE Oak, complex dried dark fruit, brown sugar, fresh biscuits, roasted nuts, and some baking spice and copper. Warm and rich, this is what I’ve been missing from Booker’s. FINISH Long -> Oak, dried dark fruit, brown sugar, fruit.

3.5 stars - Very good. 750 ml bottle. Not your classic Booker’s. This tastes like Baker’s or what I would imagine a cask strength Evan Williams to taste like. Lots of sweet corn, peanut and oak. The normal Booker’s flavors of hay barn, dusty oak, and leather are turned down to a whisper. Surprisingly easy to drink neat. Yeah, this definitely tastes just like Baker’s.

I really like the mouth feel of this- it's oily and on the heavy side but incredibly smooth. With a single ice cube, very sweet up front- caramel and toffee and vanilla but with green apple tartness as well. Some leather and baking spice in the finish. Edit: upping my rating from 3.5 to 4 on second tasting. I just love the nutty chocolate toffee of this one.

Absolutely beautiful!! The viscosity is amazing! The flavors are rich and full! The oak char is soft and so approachable. I’m getting lots of molasses, corn syrup, and some leather. Red Velvet cake batter like sweetness and organic vanilla extract! The oak finish lingers for sure!! Excellent dram! *Very complex; you can vary between multiple flavor profiles*