Booker’s “Kitchen Table”
Batch 2018-04
6 Years, 8 Months, 7 Days
64% ABV
$70 – $80
Website
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.
What the Master Distiller Says:
It’s special for me to name the fourth and final batch of Booker’s Bourbon for 2018 after a place that was so important to Dad and the creation of Booker’s as we know it today.
This batch is made from barrels produced on three different production dates and stored in six different locations. The breakdown is as follows:
- 7% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse E
- 14% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse E
- 4% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse E
- 24% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse J
- 44% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse J
- 7% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse D
This batch has a beautiful color that is a deep chestnut and has a robust , flavor rich taste profile. The nose is a rich balance of vanilla and oak that comes from aging in white oak barrels for more than six years. The finish is balanced and pleasant and does not overpower your taste buds. In Dad’s honor, I’ve enjoyed this batch with a healthy splash of water, also called “Kentucky Tea” which was one of his signature ways to enjoy his Booker’s.
– Fred Noe, Beam Family’s 7th Generation Master Distiller
What Gary Says
Nose: Rickhouse oak, chocolate cocoa with caramel and vanilla; subtle smoke and baking spices.
Palate: Warm, a tad sharp with caramel and dark chocolate, a hint of peanut butter before pepper spice kicks in; some water really brings out the chocolate and softens the edges, peanutty.
Finish: Moderate to long, with lingering cocoa and pepper spice.
Comments: Booker’s was the first “high proof” bourbon (or whiskey for that matter) that I cut my teeth on. I don’t recall the batch (this would have been 2011?) but once I got through the burn – it was delicious. Is there variation between batches? Sure, but of the several I’ve tried – I don’t recall any I thought were poor or ‘below expectations’. Some have stood out as better than others, but all in all – Booker’s is pretty consistent. Even their web-page lists the same tasting notes at the top for all batches (even when you change the year). That’s not a knock in the least; that’s a testament to having dialed into a flavor profile that they and their fans like. This batch is no different; a solid high-proof bourbon that takes water rather well. One note that stood out for me (which I don’t always get from Booker’s) is peanut butter, which is strange since I get a peanutty note in a lot of Beam bourbon products (I tend to think of it as their ‘House Style’).