Booker's Bourbon Batch 2016-01 "Booker's Bluegrass"

at Sanfords'

strong with kickback on the palate. one piece of ice absolutely helps smooth out taste.

Found a bottle of the 2016 at my local store, and just had to grab it. My first experience with Bookers, and I hope it’s a good one. Look: Bookers comes out damn near brown, definitely a dark dark amber, with the edges showing some slight yellow. The proof-age show with the color. Twirling the glencairn, I don’t see a lot of alcohol legs, but there is some, and lacing that looks like it’s defying gravity. Nose: I don’t even have my nose up to the glass, and I’m getting some good aroma. Tons of sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, smells really sweet. Sticking my nose in the glass gives me more spice, but not a pepper, more a sweeter clove, slight cinnamon, then a nice milder oak. Palate: Initial flavor is that sweet sugary flavor, and then in a split second it goes to spice, and oak. After the oak I get hit with more sweetness, maybe cherries. Finish: Holy Christ, the first three seconds of this, I thought this was like a milder proof bourbon, and then, the heat hits big time. More so than after the swallow, the heat really hits more on the tongue and mid palate. Finish is the cherry and oak. Overall: I was expecting a lot out of this, considering how much Beam likes to charge for these bottles, and I’d say expectations are about what I’d expected. You’re getting a high proof bourbon with tons of flavor, and while the burn is intense, not as much as I’d have expected. Definitely worth grabbing.