In an echo of what used to happen at Burn’s Tobacconist when I worked there, I’ve decided to do “Bourbon Friday” here on Leaf Enthusiast. Cheers!
This isn’t my first experience with Booker’s Bourbon, part of the James Beam family of bourbons, but the first time was a decade ago. And this is the first time I’ve actually purchased my own bottle…bottles, technically, since I got a “sampler pack” at the distillery. I opted to open the 2024-04 Batch, called “Jimmy’s Batch” in honor of Jimmy Russell, part of the Wild Turkey Distillery for 70 years now, a good friend to Booker Noe, former Jim Beam Master Distiller, and father figure to Fred Noe, Booker’s son and current Master Distiller. By coincidence, it was just three days ago that I got to meet the 90-year-old Jimmy Russell when I stopped in to see what the Wild Turkey Distillery might have as an exclusive…so opening up this bottle I bought the very next day was something I could hardly resist.
I won’t bore you with the details of where this small batch came from…4 different sources with barrel position and rickhouse numbers were listed on the card that came with the bottle. The age statement reads 7 years, 9 months, and 19 days…and it weighs in at 62.9% ABV, or 125.8 proof.
I was impressed by the deep amber color of this bourbon in the bottle and it stands out with a dark color in the glass, too. The vanilla notes on this liquid were outstanding and it was hard to pick up anything else on my nose. Taking a small sip, I was staggered by the amount of sweetness, a molasses and brown sugar flavor with an almost syrup consistency, along with a slowly burning finish that lingered and lingered on my lips and eventually the back of my throat. Smooth and sweet because of the long aging process and the meticulous barrel selection, punch and fiery because of the high proof.
I was somewhat taken aback really…this wasn’t the most I’ve ever paid for a bottle of bourbon (that was Blanton’s at $150…and worth every penny of about $45), but it was the first time I can honestly say that the flavor experience was worth the high price of admission. I have bottles from two other batches waiting to be tasted, but at this moment, this is probably the best bourbon I’ve ever tasted…and just coming back from the Bourbon Trail, I got to taste some pretty amazing stuff in the last week.
