Info Shots

• Price: ~$94 – $114.00 (2021)
• Spirit: Whiskey
• Proof: 124.4 (62.2% alcohol)
• Noses (smell): Oak, Hints of caramelized brown sugar.
• Palate (taste): (1st sip) Butterscotch with Oak (2nd sip) Sweet butterscotch with less oak
• Age Statement: 6 Years, 6 Months & 12 days

Distiller information

Background

Bookers is a quarterly release bourbon that strives to be a premium product line from the makers of the Jim bean which is owned by the Beam Suntory (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan). Its claim to fame is being the highest alcohol content out of the brands produced by Jim Beam. This is considered a cask strength bourbon even though the it isn’t present on the label. Booker’s bourbon is aged between six and eight years and is bottled un-cut and without chill filtering at its natural proof between 121 and 130.6.

Release information (From the distiller)

MASTER DISTILLER NOTES

The batch is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in four different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s Noe Strangers Batch is as follows:

• 3% came from the 2nd floor of 9-story warehouse H
• 27% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse D
• 39% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse J
• 31% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q

The batch has a nice color coming from the time it rested in charred white oak barrels in our Kentucky climate. I sampled this batch on a rainy morning, and as usual, the first sip told me this was a batch that my Dad would be proud of. The aroma has vanilla and brown spice, and this sweetness continues when it first hits your tongue. Because of where Booker’s is aged, the initial heat won’t overwhelm you and leaves you with a balanced taste. The finish is long and warm, just the way Dad liked it. From the name of the batch that reflects the way he lived his life, to the bourbon in the bottle that tastes the way he enjoyed it, I know my Dad would be proud of this batch.

Tasting notes. Booker’s Bourbon | Batches. (n.d.). https://www.bookersbourbon.com/batches

LABEL INSPIRATION

The fourth release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-04 ‘Noe Strangers Batch.’ This batch celebrates the genuine, social nature of my dad, Booker Noe, and the way he could turn a stranger into a friend for life in no time.

Take for example when Dad took a liking to the products that a salesman was selling. He would call out to Mom and say, “Set an extra plate at the table, I’m inviting this salesman to dinner!” Another time, Dad was invited to a rally for the Blue Knights® Motorcycle Club, an international brotherhood of active and retired law enforcement officers who share a passion for motorcycle riding. There he struck up a conversation with some of the members, and the next day, more than 300 of them were invited to the house for lunch.

His knack for making friends carried into his work as well. Here in Kentucky and out on the road, Dad wouldn’t leave a bourbon event until he shook hands with everyone that wanted to talk to him. He’d listen to stories from every customer he met and just like that, they’d become a fan – and a friend – for life. Dad taught us to ‘treat others how we would want to be treated’– a lesson our family holds true to this day. It’s just the way us Noes are wired.

As you enjoy “Noe Strangers Batch,” I hope you’ll think of Dad and his generous way of making everyone he met feel at home. Like we always say at the distillery: come as friends, leave as family.

Tasting notes. Booker’s Bourbon | Batches. (n.d.). https://www.bookersbourbon.com/batches

— Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller

Onto the Review

Temperature

When tasted at room temperature, the whiskey give taste off an initial taste of butterscotch with lots of oak flavors. The bourbon is very harsh in compared to other bookers at the same proof. I’m am not sure why this one is more harsh to me, but it was something to keep note of for this review. For someone that has chronic heartburn like me, its might be something to stick away from.

After the initial tasting and the harshness aside, the flavors for me stick to this butterscotch note with oak finish. This last about 20 – 30 seconds of oak aftertaste that reminds me cherry wood flavors.

Conclusion

If you haven’t had a chance to have a Booker’s before, this one may turn you away from trying other Booker releases. For me this was my first Bookers and certainly swayed me from purchasing the next release entirely. I did end up coming back later during one of next years releases and ended up loving that one more than this one.

The issue this one lacks and what I have come to learn with the other Bookers releases is that this one was very underwhelming in terms of character, harshness (this one was exceedingly harsh compared to the others I have picked up since this release), and bang for your buck. In this category and price you have to be putting out something that is worth picking up and ultimately for me this one didn’t live up and deliver. Thankfully the ones I had after this one do live up to what you should expect from a Booker’s release

Score