Freddie Noe hit this one out of the park. Grab a bottle and try for yourself. This years LE release was a great reminder of wonderful bourbons coming out of Four Roses. . The palate goes full crme brle with sticky burnt sugar over the top and a slight touch of allspice and nutmeg next to a dark cacao powder dryness with a touch of smoke salt and light, dry cedar. This much-lauded Texas bourbon is the highwater mark of what great whiskey from Texas can be. Last years release was a mix of MGP rye (95 percent rye) and High West rye (100 percent rye) finished in French oak barrels that held port. Its delicious and really feels bespoke. The end tends to be slow and velvety with the spice, fruit, oak, and vanilla all blending nicely until the very last. It doesn't smell as strong as the proof would suggest. Booker's Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey. Im on the record as being a big Jack Daniels fan. The minimalist design and the Pappy bottles quietly gave us a classic mixing bourbon that, again, is really hard to find any issue with. The taste holds onto the honeyed sweetness with burnt sugars, light cedar, chocolate tobacco leaves, and a hint of orange oils. In 1992, Booker introduced the world to s This tiny and new distillery was founded in West Louisville by brothers Victor, Chris, and Bryson Yarbrough. The whiskey in the bottle is the classic Jim Beam mash bill of 77 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and ten percent malted barley. 26 % Rostered. It's stored in barrels aged on the middle shelves within Jim Beam's nine-story rack houses. Alcohol heat permeates this barrel-proof monster. Grannys Batch recalls a woman famous for her highballs and nut cakes at Christmas time. That being said, if you try just a handful of these bourbons, youll be glad you did. This is always a pleasant surprise whenever I get to drink it. Their Discovery series continues to wow this year with another homerun whiskey that feels as special as it tastes. The palate doesnt veer too far from those notes but adds in a touch of burnt ends from vanilla pods with a light spice that leans more towards that tobacco than woody brown spices. These are released three times a year (were tasting the January 2021 release below) and the various expressions have been winning award after award. The lions share, 68 percent, is derived from an eleven-year-old Kentucky bourbon thats made with 75 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley. View Product Info Get the latest bourbon news to your inbox. Expect to pay . That honey leads back to the warmth and spice with a whisper of smoke lurking on the very backend with more bitter chocolate, buttery vanilla, and dark cherry. The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle. Pinhooks contract distilled bourbon is all about refinement. The taste has a hint of almond or walnut shell on the end that marries to a dry mouthfeel, vanilla notes, and a touch of tobacco chewiness. Its a delicate balance of mixing great whiskeys to make something better than the individual parts. Its very distinct yet welcoming. The end is long and leans back into the fruit as the vanilla and spice create a silken mouthfeel. This delicious Bookers batch has the structural grandness of a skyscraper. It stands out. USA. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location. He actually coined the term "small batch." The juice in that bottle is a cask-strength blend of whiskeys from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. On first whiff, I got a strong upfront alcohol burn, which is common for barrel proof bourbons. It's got the sweet, clean profile of Buffalo Trace in spades, with the added heat and punch of 125 . The juice in the bottle is a blend of bourbons from California, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana that are four to 12 years old. The finish is long, effervescent, and leaves you with this soft sense of having just eaten the best oatmeal raisin cookie of your life with just the right amounts of oats, spice, raisins, brown sugar, and crumble. The first Black-owned and operated distillery in Louisville, Kentucky is putting out quality juice at affordable, everyday prices. The taste really focuses on that caramel, with hints of oak next to roasted almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, dry wicker, and a drop of soft mineral water. This final release of 2021 from Pursuit United put 9,342 bottles on the market in six states (Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky). Its really that good. The 15-year barrels are high-quality bourbons hand-selected by Beam. Until then, get in on the ground floor right here. Its full of old cherry, dry leather, vanilla-laced tobacco leaves, rich caramel thats almost chewy, and maybe a touch of sassafras thats just leaning into root beer territory. My absolute top release of this year is 2022-04 Pinkie's batch, it is what a down to earth true honest to goodness Booker's really is, lots of peanut, cinnamon, brown sugar, funky goodness. Our parameters for which bourbons made the list are simple: Thats all there is to it. Its a great, bold whiskey that truly shines when mixed. Taking responsibility for your own actions. Booker's Bourbon is a brand named for master distiller Booker Noe, a sixth-generation bourbon maker. This could have been this years Port Cask finish, which was my personal favorite from last year. "Noah's Mill is a 114 proof bourbon coming from the Willett family again. Order now and enjoy a piece of bourbon-making history in your glass. That makes each release extremely unique and fleeting. Its slightly more than what you would pay for aStagg Jr.or anElijah Craig Barrel Proofbottle. The end is long-ish and carries more of that vanilla cream while that cinnamon becomes slightly chewy with a dried choco-mint tobacco buzz on the tip of the tongue. On the palate, very dark cacao dust opens up your taste buds as dates soaked in floral Earl Grey create a base for a moist and very sticky toffee pudding with a small dollop of the silkiest vanilla ice cream youve ever had. In addition to variations in proof and age, Bookers batches can also be differentiated by what floors and warehouses their components come from, and how those differences create variations in flavor. Overall, this is a lighter bourbon by Texas standards and that helps it stand out amongst the crowd. Still, this bourbon is a must-have that hides its ABVs so well that I doubt youll even realize that its barrel strength. Youre greeted with a real sense of a corn-syrup-laced pecan pie next to hazelnut bespeckled cinnamon rolls and creamy milk chocolate. Still, this was a great whiskey that I want more of and thats what this list is about. The palate really embraces that vanilla cream base while the berries go full dark and sweet cherry with more of that buttery toffee, dark cacao, and meaty fig adding a dark depth to the sip. The barrels were aged for exactly six years and five months before the juice went into the bottle untouched at cask strength. Only letters and optionally some numbers and/or underscores. We try to make them a little different if possible, because, if you dont its just the same thing. Booker's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Access to over 2.4 million ratings and reviews, More than 200.000 bottles available from retailers around the world, The most trusted source of factual bottle information available. The palate centers the creamy vanilla while adding in a cinnamon bark vibe with notes of black pepper and floral honey moved into the background. Whiskybase B.V.Zwaanshals 5303035 KS RotterdamThe NetherlandsKVK: 60207205VAT: NL853809112B01. Parker's Heritage 27 Year 2nd Edition. Over two centuries, the icon has churned out incredible releases, been named the best distillery in the world and even managed to create its own line of cigars.Sure, the distillery is known for producing legendary drams like Pappy Van Winkle and WL Weller, the . The result is this award-winning Barrel Strength bottle, which possesses a surprising complexity considering that its alcohol content lies somewhere between 120 and 25 proof, depending on . Buffalo Trace's Pappy Van Winkle 's $3,000 price point points to the fact that it's one of the best bourbons on the market today. The age comes through with a big medley of dark cherries sitting in a big cedar bowl with a dark leather jacket imbued with decades of cigarette smoke and perfume next to a hint of dark chocolate orange balls. To say this is smooth would be an understatement. The expression is made from 100 barrels that are matured for 34 months before being small-batched by Pinhooks Master Taster Sean Josephs. This really is the sweet spot for Bib & Tucker. This hits very classic bourbon notes with a real depth that just doesnt end. And . Speaking of bottles I actually finish over the course of the year, I finished two of these since they hit the open market. The second aspect is the decanter. That dry pepper holds as a light dry herbal note lingers on the senses. Booker's Bourbon first came to be when Booker would hand select barrels to give as holiday gifts for friends. The bourbon is made from a blend of corn, rye, and barley, and is aged for a minimum of six years in oak barrels. Its also a single barrel you can actually still find. The end is long-ish, has touches of that dry pine, and holds onto both the vanilla and dried corn husks. That cornmeal comes through on the nose with a sense of candied orange, salted butter, and pancake syrup with a hint of brewers yeast. Its almost refreshing while still delivering on some deeply built Jack flavors. It also helps shine a light on how diverse the bourbon coming out of MGP really is. 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. Booker's bourbon is one of the small batch bourbons produced by the Jim Beam distillery, which is owned by Beam Suntory (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan).Having the highest alcohol content of the brands in the Jim Beam "Small Batch Bourbon Collection", it is a cask strength bourbon. The finish is slightly brief, but its mostly light, focusing in on oaky dryness and a hint of orange peel. The nose on this has a distinct barnyard funk tied to wet bales of straw that leads to a salted caramel sweetness with a twinge of a pine box full of cherry pits. The end is sweet to the point of a honey candy with a touch more of that apple but fades really quickly. Theres a roundness to this sip thats enticing. The information on this website is only meant for personal, non commercial use. This new expression was created by Bulleits Master Blender Eboni Major. So, take this being number four instead of two or one as splitting some pretty fine hairs. He has written about whiskey, food, drink, and culture for Esquire, Playboy, Men's Journal, Popular Science, Southern Living, Maxim, among others. Booker's was the first bourbon to be bottled straight from the barrel. While not necessarily inexpensive, Booker's does a nice job of delivering value to the consumer. The juice then goes into the bottle uncut to help highlight the disparate yet similarly cozy flavors given by each of the barrels. Buy Booker's Bourbon Online Buy Booker's Bourbon Online. Stephen Beam is doing some amazing work out of a tiny distillery in rural Kentucky. Pinkie was the nickname for Booker's father, Frederick Booker Noe (yes, this family likes to reuse family names). Instead, I found myself going back for more and more sips just to capture some additional flavor. Jim Beam. That then draws towards subtle pops of orange oils, floral honey, walnuts in buttery brown sugar syrup, and this mild touch of spiced apple tobacco leaf. Grannys Batch has a distinct note that Ive occasionally referred to as Beamnut butter: a peanut aroma and flavor note, which can vary from fresh roasted peanuts to peanut butter fudge. Eventually the popularity of these bottles caught on and Beam started to bottle in mass. The juice is aged in Ozark oak for four years and then finished in oak from Minnesota for another year, all under that blazing West Texas sunshine. Sweet and dried fruits invite you in the nose as a touch of Black Forest cake mingles with mild holiday spices. The palate has a pecan pie vibe with the maple syrup turning into Caro syrup as the oak gets a little toasty, with rich buttery toffee and a dollop of creamy vanilla pudding. SCORE: 4/5 (good, definitely recommend ~ B+ | 87-89) *Disclosure: The sample for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. But the task of trying each bottle is just the kind of burden were willing to shoulder for you folks out there, who may be tracking down things to drink at the close of the 2020 year. After completing the tasting, I added a few drops of water to my glass. Speaking of single barrels, youre probably only going to find these at auctions these days. Imagine the softness and richest crme anglaise with a touch of salted caramel syrup, eggnog spice, and a towering croquembouche with all the spun hard sugar holding the whole thing together. New Riff always delivers. The palate really leans into the cherry with a bright but saucy vibe thats spiked with nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon (and maybe a hint of ground ginger) while little firecrackers full of salted black licorice, dry cedar bark, and Cherry Coke fill in the background. This whiskey is all about the blending process that Stellum employs to make this special and award-winning bourbon. 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