Which bottle did you just buy and why?

@thecyclingyogi, you probably paid less for the three of them than what wine-searcher.com currently lists the secondary market price for the Founders Reserve alone (US$ 208). Good going. You can't have too much Founders Reserve on hand.

Go to Fatima,...get a miracle.

Booker's batch #2015 01, 128.7 pf. Oh my goodness. The nose alone is worth the price. CHERRIES, CHERRIES, (stewed prunes), ripe bananas, vanilla. It is sweet on the entry, like a WARM, gooey, butter tart. Smoooooth. White pepper on the tip of my tongue. Heat from mid-palate to exit. Oaky bitterness on the back end combined with orange pith makes for a nice balance. A wave of comforting warmth through the finish accentuates the echoes of those gooey, gooey, butter tarts. A magnificent example of cask strength bourbon. it is no small wonder Booker's friends enjoyed receiving this uncut, unfiltered KY magic.

@paddockjudge That sounds wonderful it's been a little while since I have bought a new bottle, happy to see the new release still amazes.

@paddockjudge Sounds good. I don't have that batch. I have one that starts 2013... Anyone tried it?

Did you get yours at the KGBO? I couldn't justify the price when I found several bottles for $50 including shipping in the states. Only problem is I have a long wait for them.

@Victor Thanks for the message! She is doing so well, such a little joy! Trying the Benromach tonight!

@paddockjudge I plan to put away a few bottles for her over the years to mark special occasions or mile Stones, doing the same with a few bottles of wine too On her 21st she should have quite a little cellar to enjoy....with her Dad!

@KiwiJames- A very good plan. Your child(ren) will some day derive tremendous enjoyment from these treasures, no to mention your 'Legacy Collection'. It is comforting to me when I think about the possibility of my grandchildren enjoying some antique expressions.

@Nozinan, I did indeed find Booker's at a local outlet of our public monopoly. @Benancio, this is a special offering - right in my wheel house - 97 mile per hour fast ball to the heart of the strike zone. BAM! Third deck, straight-away center field. This one is a walk-off home run.

@paddockjudge

if this batch is THAT good, I may have to see if it's available in Toronto.

@Nozinan I bought a bottle of it, loved it, and went back out and bought two more to stow away. It's definitely worth the $70 tag at the KGBO.

Oban 14 YO. I haven't had this in a long time. I wanted something nice and simple for a change. All my other whiskies are either peated, sherry casks or both, hehe.

@Fiberfar That is a great neutral barely forward scotch, great example for Victor's thread on barley forward whiskey. Reminds me, I'm out of Oban, let us know how the new release tastes?

Booker's 2015-01, packaging error, or is it? The packaging of this batch for Ontario would otherwise go unnoticed except for the fact that nothing has changed. All labels remain the same. The box remains the same, and thank goodness the whisky has remained the same - or has it?

This standard packaging on the 2015-01 is not the new-look box and commemorative label which has been extolled as a tribute to Booker Noe, grandson of Jim Beam and Master distiller for thirty-plus years. Three hundred barrels were selected from seven rick houses by the current master distiller, Fred Noe, to create the first of seven 'special' iterations of Booker's Bourbon as a tribute to his father, Booker Noe.

The juice in the Ontario standard packaging release has none of the packaging upgrades associated with Big Man, Small Batch 2015-01.

Frankly, it is the bourbon I'm after. 300 barrels of seven year-old uncut bourbon doesn't go around very far. I'm very pleased this batch was not entirely dressed in the Big Man, Small Batch 'uniform', otherwise batch 2015-01 might not have been available to me. These boxes did not attract additional attention, particularly from the bourbon-appreciating poseurs. I've now got the same fantastic special release uncut, unfiltered bourbon sans the best bib and tucker.

Serendipity, or is it?

There are six more releases coming down the Booker's pipeline. I'll be watching for similar occurrences.

---

Excerpt from Booker's Web page (below).

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Uncut like all Booker’s® Bourbon batches before it, “Big Man, Small Batch” is now available in limited quantities. Bottled at 128.7 proof, “Big Man, Small Batch” was selected with the following characteristics:

Label Inspiration

Booker’s® Bourbon Batch 2015-01 features a custom label inspired by the iconic visual of Booker sipping bourbon in his rocking chair (with his dog, Dot, at his side). To honor Booker Noe’s role in the creation of small batch bourbons and his larger-than-life personality, Booker's® Bourbon is releasing Batch 2015-01, "Big Man, Small Batch."

Master Distiller Notes:

Our first batch in 2015 has a great vanilla nose that really comes through. This batch consists of barrels that were filled between January and October of 2007. It’s a thoughtful mingling of several small groups of barrels that brought out different flavors from different rackhouses, which I did to make the end result more complex. Each small group of barrels contributed its own robust qualities that, when all mingled together, created a terrific first batch of Booker's® to start off 2015. – Fred Noe

@paddockjudge

Found some. Had to be careful though...some of the bottles (the ones in front) did not have the batch clearly visible, and were not 2015-01.

I did manage to identify some of the correct batch. $70! Better be as good as Forty Creek!

Been on the American whiskey kick - I figured that the past 10 years has been spent enjoying single malt, and blended scotch whisky - why not try some stuff from my own 'backyard'?

Was never much of a fan of Jack Daniels, but after reading some of Victor's reviews on George Dickel I decided to give the No 12 a try...Glad I did for it's a great dram, and IMHO worthy of Victor's score of 89.

@paddockjudge I'll look for the 2015 01 Bookers

Is there a batch code like? B15-A-20 or C15-A-20

B = Boston Ky Beam distillery, C = Clermont Ky Beam distillery 15 = the year the batch was dumped. A = the month January 20 = the day of the month

@paddockjudge

Forgot the dam formatting.

Is there a batch code like?

B15-A-20 or C15-A-20

B = Boston Ky Beam distillery, C = Clermont Ky Beam distillery 1

5 = the year the batch was dumped.

A = the month January

20 = the day of the month

@Nozinan What would you be ready to pay if Booker's was a Scotch. For that kind of quality, I'll bet you would pay twice the price. So don't miss an opportunity to get a great Bourbon because you would save maybe $10 if you would get it from the States. You know, with the exchange rate, the 5% tax and transportation or delivery, I doubt you would save even that meager $10. It's not the devil speaking, merely a friend who wants the best (Booker's) for you!

@Benancio

The batch codes for some of the booker's are as you describe, and others just have a year followed by a number.

This year I think they are planning 7 special releases, and the one that @paddockjudge and I are raving about is simply labelled

2015-01

@Robert99

While I agree with everything you say, a couple of points:

1. I've never tasted a bad Booker's, just some great and (now ) REALLY great.

2. I own a full bottle of the first batch I tasted, I think it was the same price at the LCBO

3. I own a couple of bottles of a batch I got in the US (not yet tried).

If I'm going to increase my position of Booker's and pay $20 a bottle more, but essentially, to get me to buy more than I really need, it has to be a really good batch. Which it is. Which is why I don't regret any of the money I put down for it.

I probably wouldn't pay more than $100 for a bottle of really good scotch. It would have to be something REALLY exceptional like an Amrut (which I realize isn't Scotch but is a single malt), but my purchase ceiling tends to be around $100. I do have a couple I paid a little more for.

Would I pay $100 for this Booker's? probably quality wise, but knowing it's available for 50-60US, probably not.

@Benancio - no standard code. Everything about the packaging of this release (I now have five bottles, because it is that good) is puzzling. The "Big Man, Small Batch" release is coded as 2015-01. It is in a different colour of box and there are some additional labels on the bottle. My bottle of Booker's has the standard wooden box and the standard labels. The code is 2015-01, 7 years 2 months and 16 days , 128.7 proof. This is exactly the same as: "Big Man, Small Batch" 2015-01, 7 years 2 months and 16 days , 128.7 proof. The two differently decorated bottles are from the same batch. There is not a standard alpha-numeric code on this bottle. The code is 2015-01. I went to the Booker's website shortly after purchasing this bottle, to satisfy my curiosity, and the code is 2015-01. Regardless of the packaging, labeling, or coding, this is a great batch.

I just picked up my bottle of Caol Ila 15 Unpeated Cask Strength. I have only had the Caol Ila 12, and absolutely loved it. I'll be adding this bottle to my collection, and it will sit alongside the bottle of 2013 Distillers Edition I bought last year.

@Benancio I'll be reviewing it soon (can't decide i I want to do one on Bushmills 21YO first, though), will let you know how what I think before the review is up, however!

@Nozinan You have good points. At the end, I am glad you got a bottle. Unfortunately, with all the good comments about this Booker's, I will have to get one for myself. And very unfortunately, my wife have to go to Gatineau tomorrow. So guess what, I'm jumpin' in the wagon and I'll be in Ottawa tomorrow to grab this 2015-1. I will probably grab my first Amrut peated CS at the same time. Maybe I read too many of your reviews and comments... Just joking!

More seriously, having limted fund and space bring some difficult decisions and because we all have different tastebuds, it is even more difficult to make up our mind. It's fun to bring the excitment up for others, but at the end we are filling our own glass, at least most of the time. And by the way, being from Quebec, I do understand your hesitation to buy product you know are a lot cheaper just at a two hours drive from where you live. And some time I am serving myself the same pep talk I served you, just before enterin a SAQ store.

Cheers!

@Robert99

If I were buying as much as I drink, I wouldn't need to worry about the difference in price between Ontario and elsewhere. But I'm seriously buying ahead. I have a lifetime supply and it adds up.

It's the enthusiast's conundrum. I taste something I like so I want to stock up before it's gone forever, but I'm always finding new things I want. So I'll never drink all the stockpiles, and in fact, I've fallen behind on opening some of the ones I wanted to try.

I sure hope my kids grow up to appreciate whisky (in moderation). When I'm in my late 60s I can enjoy it with them and when I'm gone they'll be drinking stuff that no one else can get their hands on!

@mscottydunc

Keen to see how you go with the Caol Ila 15 YO Unpeated.

A couple of bottles of the newly released Aussie malt whisky called the New World Projects Double Cask #1, a vetting of 2 Aussie Tawny Port cask matured malt whisky, one is a refill barrel and the other is a first fill barrel. Something to add to the collection.

Also a SMWS bottle of 85.30, a 15 Year Old Glen Elgin to make me a member of the Society.

I'm not much for Bourbon usually, I prefer a good rye first and a nice Scotch after that. My last attempt at a bourbon was Maker's 46 and it took me a while but I finally finished it. Not sure what it is but bourbon has never been at the top of my list. With all that said, after seeing some of the comments re: Booker's I decided to buy myself a bottle for Father's day. Batch 2015-02 127.9 proof. I have had one little glass as-is and am really impressed. Many thanks @paddockjudge, @Nozinan et. al. for the idea. I'm in IL near Chicago and found it at Binny's for $49.95. Lucky me!

@Bilbo161 Great Bourbon, great choice. @paddockjudge, @Nozinan did not steer you wrong. Its gets better after its been open a while too.

If you like Bookers you should like his little brother Knob Creek Single Barrel 120 proof. Once in a while you'll come across a single barrel that just amazes, most other are pretty darn great too.

@Benancio Thanks. You were part of the et. al. I referenced. I may have to be on the look-out for that Knob Creek single barrel. Thanks!