Booker's: 2019 Batches

It’s a cold, rainy Friday night. I’m listening to old school Country music (as Booker himself would) and, while sitting alone at my dining room table, I’m doing a blind tasting of Booker’s batches from 2019. This all sounds like the start of a hit Country song or at least a decent blog post.

I asked The lovely and talented Wife to set up this tasting for me. She put different color rubber bands around the base of the glasses and matched them to the neck of the corresponding bottles. She brought me the glasses in the dining room and kept the bottles in the Bourbon Room (or as she calls it “the office”). I didn’t match the glasses to the bottles until I had completed my notes and my rankings.

Tasting Notes

The first Booker’s I tasted was the one with the brown rubber band. It had a lot of brown sugar and creamy vanilla on both the nose and the taste. The finish kept the creaminess but was surrounded by some really nice spiciness. This was the Country Ham batch (2019-03). Going into the blind tasting this was the batch that I thought would be the winner. When I tried it after it first came out, I really enjoyed it and thought it was the best Booker’s since Kathleen’s Batch (2018-01) which was a batch that really captured my attention. On an early September evening a few friends and I sat out on the patio and passed this bottle around until it was very nearly empty. The blind tasting didn’t do anything to contradict my initial impressions of Country Ham batch.

The second batch I had tonight was the “green” glass. I found the nose to be rather simple dominated by corn and oak. The taste was a little on the earthy side for a Booker’s and had a bit of a funk to it. The finish was fairly long and quite peppery. Teresa’s Batch (2019-01) was in the green glass. While a good glass of whiskey, I didn’t see it coming out on top.

The red glass was up third. Honeysuckle and vanilla were what I got from the nose. The palate was nutty and creamy with a really nice cinnamon note. Mouthfeel is a silly-sounding term and one I don’t often use, but this red glass definitely had it. The finish started sweet, got spicy and went sweet again. This was Beaten Biscuits batch (2019-04). Before tonight I had only had a small pour of it, which I remember enjoying. I will definitely revisit this bottle again…and again.

The final Booker’s for tasting was in the pink glass. I really enjoyed the nose on this one as it reminded me of vanilla nut fudge. The taste was a combination of cream and oak with a finish that was dominated by pepper, spice and oak. This was the 2019-02 release named Shiny Barrel batch. When this one first came out, I honestly didn’t care for it too much. Maybe it was just me that day, but it seemed way off-profile for Booker’s. I tried it again in a bar after simply ordering “Booker’s”, enjoying it and then learning which batch it was. This is why we go back and try things again. Some days our palate plays tricks on us. And some whiskeys really do benefit from being open for awhile.

Rankings

Even before I did this blind tasting I had said that 2019 was across-the-board a good year for Booker’s batches. While tasting these blind there were two that separated themselves as being overall better. While Teresa’s Batch was a good Bourbon and one that I wouldn’t turn down, it was clearly the fourth choice of the bunch. The finish was nice and long, but the rest of it was unspectacular. I especially enjoyed the nose on Shiny Barrel batch. While I didn’t care for it the first time I opened the bottle, I have come to like it and feel it is a solid batch of Booker’s.

Beaten Biscuits Batch is a very well-balanced Bourbon. It is strong from nose to taste to finish and it “scratches a lot of itches” on the palate. Country Ham Batch was the one I thought would come out on top and for good reason. It is a terrific Bourbon in all regards and has been included in many “whiskey of the year” lists.

So, my final rankings of 2019 Booker’s batches are:

4. Teresa’s Batch: This one is good, but just not anything to set it apart.

3. Shiny Barrel Batch: It has a really delicious nose, but the rest doesn’t quite measure up.

2. Country Ham Batch: In a bit of a surprise, Country Ham doesn’t win. It was close…really close. If I did this again tomorrow (which isn’t a terrible idea) I could easily see the 1 and 2 spots reversing.

1. Beaten Biscuits Batch: Maybe the well-deserved buzz over Country Ham Batch combined with the Booker’s 4th release coming out during “Allocation Season” has diverted attention from Beaten Biscuits. It is an outstanding Bourbon and one that (along with Country Ham) are worthy additions to the best of the Booker’s lineup. That cinnamon note I get in this one is probably what set it over the top for me.

If you, like me, are a Booker’s fan then you are already looking forward to release 2020-01, which according to the TTB online registry, will be Granny’s Batch. If you aren’t a Booker’s fan (yet) then give Beaten Biscuits or Country Ham a try. Who says you can’t drink Bourbon for breakfast!