Booker’s Year in Review: A Hail Mary for 2020
The Noe Strangers Batch, it seems, may forever be a stranger to Booker’s fans. This batch was slated to be the 2020-04 release of this cult brand from Jim Beam’s small batch collection. As the stories go, the whiskey that was intended to be release three was deemed “unworthy” of being called Booker’s and was cancelled. What would have been batch four took the name of batch three, Pigskin Batch. I suppose we should be grateful that quality control is being taken that seriously at a major distillery as that was not a small impact financially. However, only getting three Booker’s batches in 2020 is “so 2020”.
2020-01 Granny’s Batch
Age: 6 years, 4 months and 21 days
Proof: 126.4
Nose: spiced orange tea
Taste: Oak and black pepper, burnt vanilla
Finish: Oak – one of the most tannic Booker’s I can remember
Drop of water: Tames the tannins and evokes a little sweetness. I much prefer it with a little water, which is atypical for me.
Bonus note: A friend gifted me a 2020-01 export release. It is 70 cl (instead of 750 ml), has a different bottle shape and doesn’t have the batch name on the bottle. The whiskey in the bottle is the same and is a nice addition to my Booker’s collection. Cheers, buddy!
2020-02 Boston Batch
Age: 6 years, 3 months and 10 days
Proof: 126.5
Nose: Roasted nuts, musty hay, pepper
Taste: Sage and oak. Peanut shell. Pepper.
Finish: Oak, vanilla and pepper.
Drop of water: Lessens the hit of the oak but flattens the overall flavor.
2020-03 Pigskin Batch
Age: 6 years, 7 months and 7 days
Proof: 127.3
Nose: Caramelized sugar, cherry, vanilla, baking spices
Taste: Fried cherry pie, maple syrup and a wink of oak
Finish: Vanilla, syrup, allspice and just enough oak to let you know it was in a barrel
Drop of water: Don’t bother. Doesn’t need it.
2020 in Review
This felt like a disappointing year for Booker’s. Only getting three batches is a disappointment to your liquor cabinet. The price continues to creep upward and that is a disappointment to your wallet. To me, the first two batches of the year (Boston Batch and, to a lesser degree, Granny’s Batch) were a disappointment to my palate. However, it’s important to remember that Booker’s is graded on a “Booker Curve”. Meaning, each Booker’s batch is measured against the best Booker’s batches ever released. That is a high hurdle to clear.
Batch 2020-03 was appropriately named Pigskin Batch as it was the “Hail Mary” batch that saved my year in Booker’s. Pigskin Batch is trouble. It is the kind of Booker’s that is way too easy to drink for the proof. If you aren’t careful, you’ll sip on this bottle for far too long and end up stumbling through your house whistling for the dog you don’t have. “*whoot-whoot-WHEET* Here, Spot. Where’d you go, boy?”
While Granny’s Batch and Boston Batch didn’t get high praise from me, compared to mere mortal whiskies Granny’s Batch still hold up well and I wouldn’t turn down a pour of Boston Batch if offered. If you are a fan of more oak in your bourbon, then you might even prefer those batches. To me, however, Pigskin Batch is a special one in line with 2019’s Beaten Biscuits and Country Ham and 2018’s Kathleen’s Batch.
You may have a different preferred batch from 2020, but whatever your favorite might be…sip gently. Who knows how long we’ll have to wait for the first batch of 2021 and you definitely don’t want to be chasing an imaginary dog around your house. Cheers to Booker!
