Booker's Bourbon Batch 2021-02 "Tagalong Batch"

Rating: 19/23 Blind tasting. All I know is that it's bourbon. N: Rich and full with wood, corny sweetness that carries a hint of caramel, and a hint of tangerine. Something a bit tart with kind of a licorice bitterness and a light belly that makes me think Beam, but then it fills in and I have second thoughts.. Ah, there's some toastiness getting into the peanut category. Possibly a little sweet tobacco. Leaving this in my glass for a while, some slightly dusty, dried-out wood comes out. P: Bold and rich. The peanuts come out in force with some corn sweetness that carries a dash of orange zest. Big barrel flavor with black pepper, clove, and ginger. Licorice comes in with a dash of slightly salty minerality. There's some sort of other herbal bitterness and also a touch of oil and smoky char. F: Bold. Licorice is the main thing here. Some tannic wood, black pepper. Numbing clove for sure. Not much sweetness at this point. - Conclusion - Booker's Shiny Barrel (19) is more bitter and less full. The Shiny Barrel is really full for a Beam product, but it's not as full as plenty of other bourbons. I definitely like the overall character of this one better. Belle Meade Cask Strength (19), on the other hand, is neck and neck with this. I might have overrated the Shiny Barrel at a 19. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18) is pretty close to this, but I'd say that this is a bit better. At the other end, Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21) definitely beats this. I think I'm looking at a 19 or 20 here. Coming back to this for one last tasting, I find that I still adore the complexity here, but it is a bit lacking in fullness (I actually now think that the Booker's beats it) and it also has a tad of meatiness. I think that's coming from the sour mash, so it's not the same as that really awful meatiness from feinty young whiskey, but it's there and I don't love it. Now, Belle Meade beats this and Wild Turkey Rare Breed is pretty close. A 20 is out of the picture now. So is it an 18 or a 19? Well, a 19 was a possibility both times, so I'm going with it, but I do feel like I might be starting to discover some of the flaws here that could cause me to go with an even lower rating than an 18. Thanks, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington , for sharing this! I keep wondering whether Booker's is as good as I once thought it was. Well, trying it blind has restored my faith.

This is one of my favorite releases of Booker's. To me this is a Booker's for Booker's freaks. Amped up everything. Deep roasted peanut Aroma and you can actually smell/sense the viscous nature of what's to come. Oily, thick peanut brittle, peanut butter, spice and a corn bread note. The finish is amazing. Again I mention peanut brittle as the experience. Lovely

Possibly the best high proof bruiser I've tasted. Nose has tons of caramel, wood and spice notes. Palate is similar, but some very welcome cherry starts to emerge. It coats the palate with some heat but no fire and leaves wonderful tingling spice, oak and cherry. Really good!

Nose - toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, sawdust, pine, spearmint, black tea, strong oak, nutmeg, clove, leather, juniper, black pepper, walnut, grape, coffee, herbal notes, plum, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - rich caramel, vanilla, black cherry, chili pepper, lemon oil, allspice, nutmeg, spearmint, brown sugar, spicy oak, leather, black tea, plum, orange, coffee, apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, baking spice, bitter citrus, and strong oak flavors. The fourth of nine blind samples starts with woodsy, herbal aromas. There is a really nice mix of notes I don’t usually find in a single dram of whiskey. Dark fruits, caramel, earthy mint, pine, some juniper. Actually, there are some definite gin qualities here. The palate carries some of those same notes. Strong oak and deep citrus are also present in spades. This is really good, complex whiskey. I don’t think I’m wrong in assuming it has some good age on it, maybe even too much given the black tea and overabundance of wood on the nose and palate. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite whiskey profile, but it’s unique and worthy of a high rating from me. So what’s in my glass tonight? Booker’s Tagalong Batch. Wow, it’s a Booker’s?! This tastes much older than six years, and I’ve certainly never tried a batch that was so herbaceous. This is great stuff and drinks significantly under its proof. Many thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the generous sample!