Booker’s Bourbon 2022-03
Kentucky Tea Batch 2 | 63.25% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
When you need to treat yourself
Smack my ass and call me Sally
So much text has been devoted to value propositions, and rightly so. With the global economy ebbing downward with each successive day and headlines warning of market collapses and recessions, we’re all tightening our belts.
My latest trip to the liquor store saw a bottle of Balcones’ Texas 1 Single Malt that used to sell for $50 now going for $75, Ardbeg Uigeadail I used to pick up for $60 now has a price tag of $95, and there was a Benromach 15 (even with its disappointing 43% ABV) now with a listed price of $109. Crazy times, for sure.
It’s only natural to be more selective, more prudent, and more discerning. But what about the times when you need to treat yourself? Sometimes you would rather trim other budget line items and, instead, grab a bottle you just want to caress and hold dear. Sometimes you just walk into a liquor store, see that bottle, and grab it. You aren’t handing over your life savings, but it’s materially more than you’d usually pay.
I suggest you do the same and expand your search beyond the routine. You’ve earned it. You deserve a kick-ass bottle.
I’m normally more of a single malt guy. Many run-of-the-mill bourbons of my past were either high proof gasoline or simply too cloyingly sweet with no other flavours than corn syrup, cane sugar, and caramel. I don’t mind sweet, but years ago when I took my first steps with bourbon, there were no interesting flavours along for the ride. I might as well have grabbed some stale peanut brittle and dipped it in sugar or lighter fluid.
When I started my whiskey journey proper, it was natural for me to find my way to single and blended malts. The primary goal of sipping whiskey was (and continues to be) to experience flavours. And, in malts I found them aplenty. From the berry and stone fruits from sherry cask matured whiskey, to the range of peat smoke variants – oily to savoury to ashy, to the so-called Lowland profiles that bring cereal, floral, and grain-forward expressions, to the vanilla and oak notes from bourbon cask matured whiskies. I’m still amazed by the various flavour profiles that come from the world of single malt. This doesn’t even touch the range of whiskies that come from wine, stout, and rum barrels/casks, nor the differing flavours resulting from different climates. As is often said, the whiskey journey is a flavour chase.
With the flavour chase in full swing and ongoing, I’ve re-discovered (or, actually, started to discover) bourbon. Just as the single malt boom has come with countless new and innovative distilleries and master blenders eliciting new flavour experiences, so too, in America old and new bourbon distilleries are flourishing with a focus on flavour instead of what used to be the choice between either pure heat or those cloyingly sweet pours. In the past three years, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with my re-introduction to bourbon. Real bourbon. Bourbons that actually provide interesting layers of flavour. I’m still a malt guy but I’m very much interested in, and appreciative of, this new bourbon renaissance.
On my bourbon journey I came across prior Booker’s small batch bourbon releases. Some were fine, some underwhelming, and there were a few releases that were wonderful. Batch variation is a real thing with Booker’s. It was my extreme luck and pleasure to be introduced to a release that came out in late 2022. To me, it stands out in a crowd like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson standing among guys at your local gym. I know that everyone’s palate and preferences are different, but good lord, the 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch checks all the boxes and then some.
I tried this batch first at a buddy’s house. I was told it was a game-changer. I admit, I scoffed a bit. That is, until I took my first sip. It was good. Weeks later, the topic of Booker’s came up. I remembered how much I enjoyed that dram, but I began to question my memory. Was this great memory of my first time around the bases with the Kentucky Tea Batch a function of the setting and the company I had? I am glad to answer myself – no.
Recently, I was out with friends and saw a bottle of Booker’s behind the bar. After we finished our meal, I asked the barkeep to inspect the bottle to be sure it was the same batch. It was. Upon my insistence, we all ordered a round. The looks on everyone’s faces at my table were priceless – and one blurted out, “smack my ass, and call me Sally! That’s amazing!”
I demurred on smacking his ass, truth be told… though he is now known as Sally.
Booker’s bourbons are not available in large numbers – even on this side of the Atlantic. Luck was with me the other day, however, when I saw this bottle on the shelf. I saw the price tag. I had made it through the work week, and damn it, I was going to reward myself. I grabbed the bottle faster than Dougie snaring an under-valued Ardnamurchan at auction.
And, I’m glad I did.
Review
Booker’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Kentucky Tea Batch - Batch No. 2, 2022-03, Aged 7 years, 4 months, 14 days, 46% ABV
USD$91 paid (£75)
To be called a bourbon, by law there can be no additives other than water to the distillate. As such, no colour has been added and it’s non-chill filtered.
Nose
A slice of heaven. Rich. Brown sugar and vanilla. Nuttiness of cashews and peanuts. Clover honey. Cinnamon. Browned butter. You can sense this is a higher proof, but not terribly so. Hints of mulled wine. Each time going back to the nose, different flavour combinations appear.
Palate
The first thing that struck me was the mouthfeel. Creamy and viscous. Layers of flavour cascade over the tongue. Crème brûlée and brown sugar. Vanilla and caramel. The flavours of mulled wine fruit and cinnamon. Chai tea. A background hint of orange zest is slight, but is present. Rich oak comes into play. The clover honey underlays it all.
As the oak comes into play, the ABV makes itself known, building toward the finish. That ABV ain’t foolin’ around, my friends. My buddy – a true bourbon hound who lives with high proof bottles daily, and now goes by the name of Sally – says this bottle drinks easier than its 63.25% ABV would suggest. To be clear, this does not drink like a 46% ABV whiskey and no one should think otherwise. Yes, there’s more than a bit of high octane fuel associated with this, and unless you’re a regular sipper of 55%+ ABV bottles, I’d suggest your first sip here needs to be a small sip to acclimate your palate to the proof you are about to encounter through your glass. The reward for acclimating will be your second sip and those thereafter. Simply wonderful.
The finish is not long, but the building Kentucky Hug in your chest lets you know that this bottle stays with you.
For those not used to dosing yourself with cask strength whiskies on a regular basis, a few drops of water or an ice cube is ideal. With a few drops of water, the oak and spice become more prominent on the nose. As for the palate, the brown sugar and vanilla step forward a bit, but most of the palate stays the same with the exceptions of a quite dimmed ABV mid-palate to finish, and the fruit notes have stepped back a bit. There’s some build-up, but the alcohol bite is clearly muted. It’s still a tasty treat and I can enjoy this with or without water. Play with the water yourself to see what your balance is. For me, sometimes neat is fine, sometimes adding water is the thing. It’s delicious either way.
The Dregs
For those not acquainted with Booker’s, it’s a small batch bourbon from Jim Beam. Booker’s is among the few bourbons bottled straight from the barrel. The Booker’s line started in 1988 and Jim Beam releases several varying profiles each year. Aside from a few limited releases (they released a 25th anniversary expression, a limited release rye, and a 30th anniversary expression) since 2017 there have been four expressions released each year. The batches always vary. Each batch is composed of different casks and different combinations from various rickhouses. Frankly, as said previously, some of the other Booker’s batches have not impressed. I’ve not had a bad one, but many are just in the “good” category and not worth the $90 price tag. This batch, however, is exceptional. It’s sweeter than other Booker’s releases, but in my opinion this bottle with its richness and mouthfeel, and its many layers of flavour, separates itself from other Booker’s and other bourbons. This is a bottle to sit with after dinner, and let the time ease away.
If I had to pick a bottle to treat myself from single malts at the same price, the thoughts of Benromach’s cask strength and Bunnahabhain 12 cask strength come to mind. But, there’s something about this Booker’s that’s more decadent. I was looking for an after dinner, dessert-style drink. Kentucky Tea Batch fit the bill. If you have a different set treat bottles at this price, I’m curious to see your list of bottles in the comments. Selfishly, it’ll help me next time I have an urge to blurt out expletives at the liquor store and part with up to $100 for a bottle.
Despite my raving about this bottle, one might wonder about the score I gave it. For this Booker’s, I was considering an eight, but I realise I can’t completely ignore the price. And so, seven it is. And a very good seven, indeed.
I appreciate that people in Europe will, most likely, not have the ability to grab this particular bottle. It is akin to me trying to find a Springbank or Ardnamurchan where I live. I feel your pain. Truly, I do. Of course, if you’re in North America and come across this batch of Booker’s, grab it… cradle it in your arms… and giggle like a school child all the way home.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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