Booker's Bourbon Batch 2020-02 "Boston Batch"

Peanuts, vanilla and almost like cedar on the nose Cherry, caramel and peanuts on the palate. Oily. Finishes with a decent Kentucky hug

Just killed this bottle. Gonna miss it. Aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, apple, and a hint of tobacco, also some mild pepper. Flavor starts savory with tobacco followed by some vanilla, pepper, and brown sugar. Finishes dry. It's hot but still goes down smooth with nice warming. Nice mouthfeel, rich and delicious! @aboutbeverages

Color: Auburn / Chestnut Nose: Peanuts | Bananas | Vanilla A very fragrant and pleasing nose that is very inviting. Palate: Medium, oily mouthfeel. Hints of peanuts, spice, black pepper, oak, and vanilla. The banana from the nose doesn’t come through. Not heat until the finish. Finish: The heat builds throughout the finish but is never overpowering. Still appreciable hints of oak, vanilla, and peanut.

Rating: 20/23 N: Some minerality, but bold peanut bordering on peanut butter. That peanut butter trails off into peanut shells and then wood with mild spices. There is some alcohol, but not too much. It's dusty and kind of mature, while maintaining a youthful peanut butter spirit to its richness. The minerality is interesting, but doesn't make it come across as much more youthful than it is. P: A bit light for a Booker's release, with some minerals. That said, there's a big Beam peanut flavor mixed with some elegant cinnamon and other baking spices (ginger, black pepper, clove), which fade smoothly into some dusty (though not sawdusty) barrel. There's some slightly sweet black licorice, but it doesn't stand out too much. I do taste a bit of the alcohol, but it's fairly minimal. It's actually quite elegant and tasty. The complexity is solid, though not amazing. I generally prefer a fuller flavor as well, but the minerals actually add some character here and all of the flavors are good and balanced. This is easy to sip. F: Limestone minerality with peanut and dusty wood that carries some spice. The minerals make up the biggest part of the finish, but they're bold, so it doesn't seem all that watered down. I like the palate better, but this is still pretty nice. - Conclusion - This isn't a Booker's release that I remember hearing great things about, but it really stands out to me. This is one of the best one's I've tried for sure. Booker's tends to be a bit youthful and aggressive. While this isn't overly mature of mellow, it tones those characteristics back to produce a more refined profile that is easy to sip and enjoyable to contemplate. Booker's Shiny Barrel (19/23) is more fiery and less complex than this. I do taste less of the alcohol in the Shiny Barrel, but it also burns more from the alcohol. The Shiny Barrel is also richer and fuller, but overall I don't think it's as good. That's saying something. This is impressive for a bourbon that is barely over six and a quarter years old. I don't have much as good as this to try side by side. The one thing giving the Shiny Barrel an edge is that its alcohol doesn't show as much. This is definitely beating my bottle of Resilient 15 (18/23), so it's at least a 19. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) is much richer and fuller than this is. Sure, it's more fiery and less complex, but it's also just so much more decadent. I favor the Jack Daniel's, but the gap honestly isn't that large. I'm thinking 20 to 21 for this right now, but leaning toward a 20. I'm very impressed. A final side by side with the Jack Daniel's puts me fairly confidently into the 20 camp, but it's a high 20. Yeah, Wild Turkey 101 isn't that far below this. But the Jack Daniel's isn't that far above it either. Honestly, I'm surprised to be saying this, but this Boston batch, one of the youngest and most maligned of all Booker's releases, is my favorite so far. Little doubt about that. The complexity and - oddly - maturity exhibited here make it a really enjoyable dram. Thanks for sharing yet another Booker's @jdriip . I didn't expect much of this one based on what I'd read, but wow was I wrong!