Booker's Bourbon Batch 2021-01 "Donohoe's Batch"

The nose feels like bowl. In the middle is corn. Then in layers: vanilla, cherry, and toffee; each wrapped around the other, but everything starts from the corn in the middle. Oh, and it's sweet. The taste continues this. But the corn constitutes the mouth feel, while the taste is dominated by the toffee and cherry. It's hot, but not burning. With hints of the Jim Beam nuttiness poking through. Feels like a twist on a classic

Rating: 19/23 N: Rich, but not super full. There's a dark decadence lying in wait here. A rich caramel mixed with molasses gives way to spices (ancho chili, ginger, clove, black pepper, cinnamon) and black licorice. A dash of grade A maple syrup. Some dry tannic wood that's not all that interesting, but it does at least get some wood in here. Oh, and then the Jim Beam peanuts come in. The nose is fairly light, but what I get out of it seems promising for the palate. P: Rich and fairly full, though like most Beam products, the body doesn't entirely fill out. There's peanut and also licorice, so both of the core Beam flavors. There's a bold limestone minerality throughout. Peppery spice with ginger and cinnamon leading into clove. A bit of alcohol bite and ancho burn. Actually, let's be real - it's a substantial alcohol bite, but it's not all that unexpected for Booker's. Sort of sweet, watered-down grade A maple syrup. Some bits of herbal flavor come out from the licorice. I'm finally getting some sweet fruit. It's like apple with cherry playing second fiddle. The flavors are bold and tasty, but there's an alcohol curtain getting in the way. This is a good execution of a pretty typical Beam/Booker's profile. F: Minerals with watered-down grade A maple syrup mix with black licorice. Hints of peanuts and wood, but this is actually a surprisingly light finish. Faint creosote on the long finish. - Conclusion - I enjoyed this, but it wasn't everything that it was hyped up to be. I consider it to be competitive with Booker's Shiny Barrel (19/23). I like that this has less alcohol and minerality, so I'm inclined to rate it higher. Still, the Shiny Barrel is kind of a low 19, so this is more like a high 19. The Shiny Barrel is also almost gone, so it might be falling in quality because of oxygen. Wild Turkey Rare Breed (18-19/23) is surprisingly close to this in quality, so a 20 seems unlikely. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) also decidedly beats this, so there's no way that this is a 21. Based on all of this, I'm going with a 19. I consider it a success for a Booker's release, but a disappointment for something so hyped. Based on my experience with this latest series of tastings and considering that Booker's now goes for $130, I think I'm done with this brand. I'll try some new releases in bars or as samples, but I doubt I will be buying another bottle anytime soon. Thanks a bunch to @jdriip for giving me a sample of this one! I was sad to have missed it when it was released and have been wondering what it tastes like ever since.

It's Booker's some nice heat!

Tastes like a special occasion pour. Great depth of flavor.

Nice barrel spice and bite. A bit sweeter than other Bookers I have had.