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Booker's Small Batch Bourbon

2015-1 Big Man Small Batch

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@newreverieReview by @newreverie

15th Dec 2015

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Booker's Small Batch Bourbon
  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    90

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Booker's 2015-1, 7yrs 2mo 16days

Nose: Cherries, wood, and barrel strength alcohol. Searching deeper brings out orange candies, some sour citrus, and black pepper.

Taste: A forest of oak and maple. Young leather, like a freshly cleaned saddle. There is a burn, but not a smooth one that comes with finer or older bourbons. I prefer to tame it with a dash of water. The water thins the sweet syrup I typically associate with Booker's, but brightens the palate with more cherries, chocolate, and vanilla.

Finish: This batch sticks with you. A great finish full of wood and spice.

Balance: Sometimes the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. There are flaws in this batch, but each segment works with the others and brings a rare harmony.

Final Thoughts: This is a great bourbon and worthy of the late Booker Noe. The only batch I've had of this quality is the 25th Anniversary. It isn't perfect, but it is one of the best bourbon's of 2015.

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5 comments

@Jules
Jules commented

Good review, makes me want to taste this batch... wonder if I'll find it in Europe? If so it'll cost me. Bourbon is of course overpriced here compared to N.America.

9 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

This is an excellent batch of Booker's! I've never tasted any batches head to head (I have a 2013 batch I will open next so I might be able to) so I can't say which was best, and I certainly did like the 25th anniversary one as well, but it is hard to imagine going wrong with Bookers's. Almost makes me regret leaving that bottle of 2015-05 on the shelf in Vancouver...

9 years ago 0

@newreverie
newreverie commented

@Nozinan I haven't seen the 2015-05 yet, but I plan to have all 6 releases from this year and do a side by side comparison. I still have unopened bottles of 2015 1-4. Having had 01 and 02 in the same sitting, the 2015-01 is the better bourbon in the traditional sense. I do not rate the 02 as highly for two reasons: The citrus and rye notes are out of place in the Booker's flavor profile and the sweetness isn't balanced across the palate. The 02 is very sweet on entry like the burnt/caramel sugar of a creme brulee, but that is followed by peppery and oaky rye notes. Don't get me wrong, I love rye, but this is a Booker's bourbon we're talking about. Once I taste all six I plan on attempting a Booker's 2015 blend and storing it in my 25th anniversary bottle which is nearly empty.

9 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@newreverie that blend sounds very interesting and worth pursuing.

Sadly I only have the -01. The 05 was in Vancouver and I already had committed to bringing back 6 other bottles (total 4 L) in a suitcase the size of a carry-on bag.

Oh well, so much left behind...

9 years ago 0

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@newreverie, Truly Ecklaektic! Your plan to blend each of the 2015 editions of Booker's will be representative of all possible Booker's since each batch of Booker's is itself a blend of many barrels from various warehouses. Klaeking Genius!

9 years ago 0