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

Nose: vanilla orange peel, slight rye spice Palette: super dry, warm, spicy, tart, baked pie

Very good. This is high proof but that does not overpower the taste. Delicious.

BACKGROUND: Each year, Jim Beam releases four high-proof batches under its Booker's label in honor of former master distiller Booker Noe. The bourbon used to complete each batch is personally selected by Booker's son, Fred Noe, and given a name along with a description explaining its origin. The "Shiny Barrel" batch is a 124-proof bourbon that is aged 6 years, 5 months, and 1 day and comes from varying floors in four different warehouses. The description provided for the "Shiny Barrel" name reads: Back in the day, some of the distillery’s rackhouse workers would carry around “mules” – pieces of plastic tubing they carried in the front of their overalls – and use them to thief out a taste of whiskey (or two) straight from an aging barrel. Some of these men had, shall we say, prominent physiques.When they went in for a taste, their bellies would rub on the side of the barrel, removing dust and shining it up. Some used to say, “the shinier the barrel, the sweeter the whiskey,” and most often, Dad would find these shiny barrels in the center cut of the rackhouse where the temperature and humidity were just right. I was eager to get my hands on a bottle and give it a try, and it did not disappoint. NOSE: Like most of its products, this Booker's has the traditional "Beam funk" on the nose, but it also smells gloriously like the inside of a rickhouse (i.e. - oak and must and age even though it is only six-year-old). There is a bit of vanilla on the nose, which Booker Noe supposedly insisted all of his best bourbons possessed. The nose is also ethanol-heavy and caused my eyes to cross a bit on the first whiff even though I used the open-mouth nosing method. PALATE: The bourbon not only tastes like thick, syrupy molasses, but it also coats the mouth like molasses. It's a wonderful mouth feel. The other predominant flavors are oak...oak...and oak with, perhaps, a bit of citrus lingering in the background. Despite its alcohol-heavy nose, there is no intense alcohol kick upon first sip. FINISH: Though the initial palate does not offer much alcohol, the finish provides heat and hug for days. The rich taste of caramel also develops in the finish though not on the palate. The Beam peanut taste makes its presence known on the finish, as well. FINAL ASSESSMENT: It is difficult to believe how much this bourbon changes and develops from front of mouth to back of throat. I know that many Booker's aficionados have said the first two batches of 2019 were lackluster and saved most of their love for the "County Ham" and "Beaten Biscuits" offerings, but I found "Shiny Barrel" to be a great treat. Though I typically drink bourbon neat and in a glencairn glass, I might try Shiny Barrel with water or an ice cube to see how it further develops. Shiny Barrel is yet another fine release in the impressive line of Booker's products. I give it four-and-a-half cork pops out of five.

Nose is friendlier than I would’ve expected given the high proof. Palate is nutty and not sure what else behind that. Finish is long and surprisingly manageable.