Booker's Bourbon Batch 2021-03 "Bardstown Batch"

Solid backbone and a lot of flavors. Unfortunately there is a cinnamon spice and harsh oak that is overpowering much of the complexity. I am hoping a little more time may open this up more. But for now, it needs a cube to cut the overpowering spice. This is hard for me to say as I want to love this bourbon of respect and I love the bite of ryes. This dry cinnamon spice on tongue and throat is just too much to overcome neat. Will keep trying this over time.

Good neat, but very good with a small cube to reduce the heat.

Vanilla chocolate cherry with slight vanilla. Spice, throat coat warmth. Peanut in a Coca Cola. Rich, thick, oily, get your drunk

Coming off the heels of my first Booker's the 2020-02 "Boston's Batch," coupled with the recent priced increase of Booker's, I was hesitant to purchase another batch but finally gave in after continuously hearing good things about Bardstown Batch along with the other 2021 releases. Nose: Sweet and oaky. A balance between caramel sugars and bold, dry oak. Behind the note, which can even be found without knowing this is a Booker's, is that peanut note, which in the 2020-02 was astringent, but here plays nicely with the sweetness to almost be folded into a peanut butter or peanut brittle. Palate: Thick and rich mouthfeel. A ton of maple syrupy sweetness that coats the palate first leaving behind a trail of oak and spice. This drinks surprisingly lower than it's proof point which is the opposite from the Boston Batch, but seems to be the consensus of the tastes I've read on it. Finish: Long finish. The sweetness settles nicely into the middle of a tingly drying oak blanket and the two notes dance around the palate as it fades. Overall the Bardstown Batch feels like a simpler whiskey as far as complexity goes but really delivers a ton of flavor and drinks older than its age statement at around 6 and a half years, and lower than it's proof at 62.75% ABV. Really glad to have picked up this bottle to have experienced a great Booker's batch. Hard to justify spending $100 on it though. Rating (t8ke scale) - 8

The start of this bottle is smokey, salty and has a light apple kiss. It has the same essence of an applewood smoked salmon. This is really throwing me for a loop. I hope this changes as it opens up over the next week or so. It does not fit any noted tastes or smells as of yet.

Wicked. Lots of cinnamon and sweetness.