Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2016-01E

Thanks to /u/throzen for sharing a dram of this one at our recent tasting (that I’ve written up).

So in this tasting we’ve had an independent bottle, something from Buffalo Trace, something from Heaven Hill, Four Roses and something from Wild Turkey.

We missing anyone? Oh, yes. Silly us. Beam. We need to try a new variation of Beam, less we release the demons from ages past.

Or something. I have trouble keeping up. We’re wizards, right? Like on the front of the Old Rip bottle?

So what do you do when you want a cask strength Beam product that hasn’t been reviewed a lot? Why you grab a bottle of Booker’s. New batch every month, new things to find, and perhaps learn a spell or two.

At least you’ll think you know spells after drinking enough of it.

Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2016-01E was our next pick for the tasting. I’ve reviewed four other batches before. This one came to the LCBO, and sold out for reasons that are really self-evident.

So let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Price: N/A at the LCBO at the moment

Region: Kentucky

Abv: 63.85%

Colour: 10YR 7/10

Nose: Cinnamon, peanut, corn, margarine, soap

Initial nose of cinnamon and peanuts. So it’s a beam product at full strength. We’re all surprised.

Water brings out more of a fake butter and floral aspects. So it’s nicer at first rather than later. Like me at a party.

I’m going to go cry now.

Taste: Cinnamon hearts, butter, apple, soap

More cinnamon. Like cinnamon? Then it’s giving you some more.

The butter and apple aspects work really well with cinnamon. However the soap kinda throws it off a bit. Not enough to make this cinnamon lover stop enjoying this.

Wait, that sounds like I’m fetishising a group of people. No. I just really enjoy cinnamon. A lot. In baking and in savoury dishes.

Finish: Cinnamon, butter, oak, mashed peanuts

More cinnamon! Which I love. Some nice butter and nuttiness, specifically that peanut funk we hear about.

And I’m not talking about a competitive band to the California raisins that maybe sounds like like Red Hot Chili Peppers. Or Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Conclusion: Lots of cinnamon. Like that? Buy this. I personally do. And the flavours pair really, really well with it. So while it’s one noted, somehow it pulled it off? Each flavour is powerful.

Yeah, it’s simple. There’s other Booker’s that have been better, or more complex. But if the cinnamon challenge sounds like something fun, however you actually know it could choke you out, this is a safer way to play.

79/100

Bourbon review #224, Kentucky review #143, Whiskey Network review #1414