Booker's Bourbon Batch 2019-02 "Shiny Barrel Batch"

The nose immediately starts with a generous dose of spice, strong on pepper, cinnamon and some clove. Underneath that is notes of dry oak, vanilla, floral rye and a touch of faint mint. The spice isn't as strong on the palate, balanced nicely by oak, rye, vanilla and a touch of some caramel sweetness. It has a slightly chewy and oil mouthfeel, going nicely to the corners of the mouth. The finish is medium but leaves the mouth tingling with spice, as the oak and vanilla take their time to fade.

What you want from a high alc bourbon. Age and reduction of burn would be only thing I would like to get a higher grade

Wow. That’s strong. But really good. Nice smoked Carmel flavors

This has some scotch richness on the nose. The nose is surprisingly subdued though. The palate is very rich with harsh spices and tannins immediately coming out, but then rich chocolate and toffee. The tannins are soft but pervasive with clove numbingness quickly kicking in. The finish has a touch of mineral sweetness emerge that tastes like fresh spring water. The woody element is unavoidable in the spice, but, it tastes more in-place and mature than in Booker's Kitchen Table. The balance is very harmonious, despite being less sweet than Booker's Kitchen Table. The rich sweetness is great with lots of vanilla. The end result is a lot like Stagg Jr., but maybe a little bit better? The balance isn't quite as great with water added, but it's still a really good drink. This is a stellar example of what a bourbon can be. The wood does show itself a bit much, but it's well in hand and give a bit of an earthy, natural flavor. It's surprising that this tastes substantially older than Booker's Kitchen Table.

Spicy. Added water and didn’t like it as much