Booker's Bourbon Batch 2024-01 "Springfield Batch"

I've not had such a sordid love affair with Booker's. I appreciate a cask strength bourbon as much as the next guy ( Heaven Hill's Grain to Glass Wheated, for example ) but of the Booker's varieties that I've tried, they were much too fire breathing to truly be enjoyable. Now granted, this might also be attributed to my unwillingness to try a bourbon of this caliber anything but neat. Perhaps these selections could benefit from a pip of water or two. But I can't bring myself to dilute a bourbon of this caliber in any way shape or form. So pretensions aside, I will have my whiskey and bourbon neat, from a Glencairn. Ethanol does hit on the nose of Springfield Batch but perhaps not nearly as heavy as the 124.5 proof would suggest. There is a deep brown sugar and molasses thick sweetness underlying an interesting honey roasted peanut top layer. Coconut shavings and tart green apples cut the savory sweetness but don't outshine it. Fruity blackberry jam, cherries and apple rush forward on initial taste. The proof produces a very viscous, tongue coating mouth feel that works well with the sweet/tart of the fruits. Mid taste and back brings on bitter dark chocolate and tannic oak. There's some baking spice there but again, given the fiery proof of this selection; I would have imagined the spice would be much more pronounced. The finish is long and satisfying, as is the norm with Booker's. Tannic oak and baking spice stay and take center stage whilst the dark chocolate turns a bit dry, leaving a bit of a powdery mouthfeel. Wow. I know that purists of previous Booker's batches might be slightly disappointed by the "tamer" aspect of this bottling but I found this absolutely delightful. I'm shocked that my local Total Wine quite literally had 10 or so of these bottles on the shelf, waiting to be picked. It isn't hard to find this at RRP at the moment, please do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle. You won't regret it.

Color: Nice Medium-Dark Amber Nose: For 124.5 proof, the nose is not all that potent. Very strange. Not even a nostril-burn. All I can really say for certain is "oak". I refused to give up on the nose — and would not take a sip until I got something more... and that finally took the form of "leather". But enough of this. Time for a taste... Palate: (First pour drank neat) Ahhhh... there's that immediate "spice" assault, that I tend to expect from Booker's, on the very first sip. Lots of oak char on the second sip — along with a lot more of the spice. Very little burn. Oh-so-slightly syrupy mouth feel, but fairly light. More "creamy" than viscous. .... a "Nose" detour: The more I sip this, "apple" comes to the fore on the nose... ... and by golly, it transfers over to the palate. Yup! Cinnamon baked apples. Nice. Finish: Decent-length finish with more spice and a dose of black licorice at the very back of the tongue. I think this is going to be a bottle that develops over time. Will be interesting to see how it may evolve. My next pour will be with a large ice ball. So before I close this out, I'll share my thoughts on how it shaped up with ice... Nothing new to report with ice added. This is very good. Booker's has never disappointed, and The Springfield Batch keeps that trend going. I just wish I still had some of the other four batches that I've had still hanging around. I'd put them all up against each other to see how they measure up. But, alas! That's virtually impossible. I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars. I had to do some fancy footwork in order to get this for under $100.00 from an online Booze retailer. But would I pay as much for a second bottle? Nope. Not when there are bottles like Baker's 107 out there for nearly half the price.

Nose offers musty rickhouse, peanut shell, toffee, barrel char, caramel, vanilla pudding, walnut, black licorice, and soft, sweet, oak. Ethanol is noticeable but in line given the proof. Palate matches the nose precisely, so as to not be repetitive see above. Dessert notes matched against bitter smoke/char/wood in equal parts offering a complimentary experience. Long finish brings cinnamon, pepper, some rye spice, mint, and a slight sourness almost like sourdough bread. Oak note from the palate turns slightly tannic, but pleasingly so. Mouthfeel is smooth and silky, which is a big plus. I had long since stopped buying these when the price went to $100+, but this particular release was available for a throwback price of $84.99, so I decided to take the plunge and I’m glad I did as this is superior whiskey. I may just pony up and buy other releases currently found on the shelf price be damned.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: Srrong notes of vanilla, caramel, and toffee, with some cinnamon red-hots. Palate: Cinnamon, clove, baking spices, with a touch of mint towards the end. Finish: Long and warm, as one would expect from the proof. Splash: Some oak tannins come through with a few drops of water. Overall: 9/10 - Bookers seems to be one of the most consistent, yet obtainable, limited releases. Would definitely buy again, especially at under MSRP.

A strong 3.75. Nose is attpical Bookers as it does not have that Beam nuttiness. Nose is softer with more caramel notes than usual and almost bordering on fruity. Taste follows through from the nose with similar notes. Finish is the weakest part of the pour though some noce spiciness lingers it offers little warming or hug and disappates pretty quickly. Would characterize as a Bookers that non-Beam lovers may really enjoy and definitely worth a pixkup at MSRP.

Color: nice amber color with solid legs. Nose: fruity scent to it. But it is a very hard to place fruit. Like deep and dark scent. Smells like something that you would go to on a cold winter night. Taste: warm spices on the back of the tongue. It’s the first thing I notice. Some sweetness on the front, but it quickly turns to the warm spices. Very little burn even though it is a high proof. Finish?: long warm finish. Water?: no water needed.