Booker's Bourbon Batch 2018-02 Backyard BBQ

Smells awesome: caramel corn and candy corn. Feel the burn of the high proof. Taste dominated by barrel notes and candy sweetness.

Nose: browned butter, candied walnuts/pecans, wood Taste: sweet, dark chocolate, spicy, oak finish, little too much alcohol heat for my taste.

I just found this one at a store a little out of the way from me. From what I can tell this is a slightly outlier Booker’s from other batches as far as the profile goes. But I’m excited to try it. The nose is sweet and rich with dried apricots, pear juice, syrupy caramel, dusty wood (like wood shavings), nice barrel char, and creme brûlée. Very pleasant nose, with notable barrel char and wood. Usually those are things I pick up more on the palate The palate is semi-sweet with some definite heat on the tip and front sides of the tongue. It has a medium bodied oily mouthfeel that is only slightly drying, which is nice considering the proof. There is vanilla, lightly roasted nuts, custard, charred wood and some dusty rye. The finish is hot at first with a punch of dried fruit that then lingers with smokey vanilla and dusty rye. The finish is very long, partly because your tongue will be tingling and slightly numb to reminded you of what you just sipped, with barrel char sticking around for quite a while. This one gets better as you get through the glass, which I always enjoy. I get why this one is named “Backyard BBQ”, it’s smokey and woody and would compliment with a nice smoked brisket or ribs.

Vanilla and faint peanut butter. Nose is hard alcohol. You need to sneak up on this to get the profile. Finish is great. Buttery and smooth one of my favorites.I let it set in a brandy glass for about five minutes.