Drinking Booker's is like swallowing oak splinters! It is flavorful, but I can’t get past the overwhelming, harsh, bitter burning sensation, all the way down. Yes, I watered it to my preferred proof, and even further. And you know what I get? A watery burn instead of a rich and flavorful burn. I even tried it with ice–which I rarely do–but it still burns. I gave it several tries. I let it sit for quite a while between tries to oxidize. I even aerated it. It’s still harsh, bitter and painful to swallow. There are so many great bourbons out there, like Four Roses Single Barrel, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, Angel’s Envy, Stagg Jr, E.H. Taylor, Rock Hill Farms, Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Each and every one of those blows Booker’s right out of the water. Don’t waste your time or money with this. The Beam distillers obviously do NOT know how (or are unwilling) to cut out the nasty heads and tails from the distillation run. Same with Heaven Hill distillates. I’ve tried many, many bourbons; but if you don’t believe me, taste Bookers side-by-side with ANYTHING from Four Roses, Wild Turkey or Buffalo Trace. Life’s too short to choke down nasty bourbon like this.