Whiskey_Hound
Booker's Bourbon Batch 2015-03 "The Center Cut"
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
April 30, 2019 (edited October 24, 2019)
This one was a damn lucky find. I popped my head into a liquor store right before it went out of business. Slow product turnover is bad for them, but great for collectors like me. I was able to score this 2015 Booker's, which Distiller has listed as a rare bourbon.
Nose: Standard Booker's. No real deviation here; it's simply damn fine. Roasted nuts, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar. Big oak. Black tea as well. This one sits at 63.6%, yet the alcohol is masked by richness and complexity. Great nose. Came back to it months later. Getting a prominent sweet maple note. Only makes it better. Came back to it again at the end of the bottle. It's been open for about 8 months. I'm now getting almond, cherry, and leather in addition to those original notes. So impressive how this has evolved. I'll miss this one.
Palate: Rich and vibrant. Sweet and spicy. Vanilla, cola, caramel, brown sugar, but also tobacco, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, and oak spice. Peanut brittle. And this could just be the power of suggestion (and it probably is) but I could swear I'm getting a chewy ribeye steak note. It could even just a note akin to what you'd get with a quality steak sauce. Either way, it conjures up this image in my head. Top notch. Months later, I'm getting the same maple note I now found on the nose. Great touch.
Finish: Very long finish. Very spicy as well. Black pepper, cinnamon, oak. The basic bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel make themselves known before this finally fades away. Maybe even a bit of tobacco or black tea.
I'm a Booker's fan boy. This one confirms this for me. This is my fourth unique bottle and I've absolutely loved each one. This one ranks in my top 2; if you put a gun to my head, I'll probably take Kentucky Chew. But this is by no means a step down and the palate here my even be superior.
This was a great find. For $80, this was easily worth the price of admission. I'm sure that some places still carrying this one will realize that they can milk the rarity of this batch. But if quality is your only concern, don't waver for a second. I'm glad I've had the chance to cross this one off the list. If you like Booker's, buy with confidence. Well done, Beam.
And months later, as I return to this one, I've gotta say it's better than a remember. And I already had it pegged at 5 stars.
80.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@dubz480 Duly noted! @Soba45 Thanks man! That's yet another batch I'll add to the list
Great review :-). I had the 6 year True Barrel Bourban Batch 2107-01E and really enjoyed it one of my top ever bourbans
@Whiskey_Hound @PBMichiganWolverine good call on the Bluegrass batch. That's another one I have in the bunker. It's outstanding as well. @Whiskey_Hound Kitchen Table was nice for sure. Not quite Kentucky Chew but another solid effort and worth seeking out for sure.
@deuce26 Lol! When I read the first comment, I agreed without batting an eye. But yes sir, I've never been let down. I plan to go for Kitchen Table after reading @dubz480 review
@dubz480 Thanks man! I've heard of Big Man Small Batch and can only hope I stumble across one one of these days. Here's to hoping. Same with the Blue Grass for that matter @PBMichiganWolverine I thought Kentucky Chew was about as good as it gets, but there's something extra satisfying about nabbing one of the really old batches. Cheers!
No. I said that wrong! Bookers is consistently great.
Bookers never fails to disappoint.
@dubz480 @Whiskey_Hound I had a similar experience —a few months ago, got the Booker’s Blue Grass for $80—retailer was making room for the newer releases.
Yeah buddy! This and Big Man Small Batch are outstanding! Tremendous find and great review!