Booker's Bourbon Batch 2017-01 "Tommy's Batch"

Rating: 18/23 N: Woody leather with mint, hints of licorice, and some remnants of corn mixed with some vanilla to add a bit of sweetness. It's on the bitter side, but rich and full. The bit of minerality that I get isn't in the way of the rest of the notes and it doesn't weaken the fullness. All in all, quite an enjoyable nose, though one that could certainly prove challenging. P: Sweeter than I'd expected. It starts off with cornbread, vanilla, and bold spices. Hints of medium-light caramel mixed with honey. From there, licorice, mint, and tannic leather come in. Some creosote as well. It gets more bitter as it progresses on the palate, with only faint hints of cornbread and vanilla remaining. Minerality comes in on the later side of the palate, which is OK, but I'd prefer to be without. F: Licorice, leather, creosote, vanilla, mint, and a big vein of minerality. This is my least favorite part of the dram. It isn't bad, but it goes from wowing me to just being OK. - Conclusion - This is a very enjoyable dram overall. Has Booker's gone downhill over the years? The decadence and complexity on display here are really nice. Blanton's (20/23 - really? I don't buy that. I think I need to rerate Blanton's) is far less full, with a more subtle complexity and greater minerality. Coming back to this, I'm finally getting that Beam peanut flavor that I wasn't before. Mmm, I'm liking this one better. This is also beating my bottle of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (18/23) with its greater complexity and maturity. Based on this side by side, this is easily a 19. It won't be pushing past a 20 though. It really could be a 20 though. This is pretty close to Booker's 2016-05 Off Your Rocker (20/23). Coming back to this, I'm not finding it to be so vastly superior to Booker's 2015-06 Noe Secret (16/23). With its sweet richness, this is still clearly the better dram, but it's no 19. I'm finding this to be reasonably competitive with Russell's Reserve Single Barrel. My bottle of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23) handily beats this. I'm thinking a 17 or 18 here. I'm tempted to go down to a 17, but considering how much I liked this previously, I think I'll give it an 18. Thank you, @Milliardo , for sharing this one as well.

Tasted neat first and pretty much got all oak and char. Added some water and gave it some time but other than bringing the proof down, I didn’t think it changed it very much. Maybe picked up a hint of cherry. The finish was fairly lengthy but kind of muted, really had to search for the notes but overall it was a pleasant pour!

Lots of spice. A little smoke. Vanilla.

Tea cake, Maple syrup, cinnamon