B.B.B. (Best Bottle of Booker's) ever. . . .

When I was first introduced to bourbon on my birthday in either '99 or '00, it was three out of the four bottles in a small set of The Small Batch Bourbon collection, 50 ml bottles, "airline" sized, about 1.127 shots in a bottle. Enough to get a good taste of something, and "get hooked" forever. I was intrigued. I was fascinated. FLAVOR!!! Candy-like, complex flavor. I had no idea such high proof alcohol could taste so good. Booker's was one of the three bottles I tasted.

What I found about Booker's during the first couple of years of drinking it was after the extreme blast of heat that entered your mouth with it's 120-something proof train in tow, it developed into spicy oak, and some caramel-like, sometimes candy-apple sort of flavor. And it has stood in a lofty spot on my ever growing list of bourbons tasted and favorites for a long time. It currently occupies the highly esteemed position of No. 4 on my Top 25 list.

But around 2002, something happened to two or three bottles of Booker's I had over the ensuing year or so. They suddenly tasted like Everclear. And believe me, I know what 190 proof Everclear tastes like. To tell the truth, there was one bottle of Booker's that didn't even have THAT much flavor as Everclear!!! :duh:

Something that my Whiskey Sensei, our own Hollow Point has helped to teach me is that perhaps each barrel is it's own vintage. Or at the very least, each batch. Of course, each barrel would be even more accurate, but not every bourbon is a single barrel bourbon. So what do you do, put the Batch No. AND Barrel Nos. on each bottle? In lieu of such thoughts, which might be called nitpicking, except that guys like Hollow Point and I thrive on nitpicking :sm_angel: , what Booker's does is put the Batch No. and proof on each bottle.

This bottle that I recently bought I have now had three tastings from. Three wonderful, 125.3 proof "best ever" tastings. It's also the oldest Booker's I've ever had at 8 years, 3 months. And it's the reddest Booker's I've ever seen. Usually a nice, medium dark amber color, this Booker's on first sight appears to have morphed into a Van Winkle product.

And THAT'S the conclusion I keep coming to. The smoothest, gentlest, least amount of heat I think I've ever tasted in a barrel proof anything. A gentle entry, almost thick, slightly spicy oak with medium amber maple syrup poured over sweet red bell peppers, then finished by doing a flambe. A long, sweet, slightly caramel-like finish. Oh so smooth and flavorful. They've got something cooking at Jim Beam. After that brief "whattheheckisthis" period, the past two years it's been getting better and better.

Just in case you're curious, this bottle is from Batch No. B96-C-15. I would assume B96 means barreled in 1996, and the rest is probably warehouse area and level. I wonder if they've altered the level of char they put on their barrels. Booker's is not only good again, it's wonderful. And I paid a very low price for this on sale at Astor Wines in the village, downtown Manhattan.

No, because ANY Booker's is not only good, but better than no Booker's. It's just that this particular bottle wasn't just a little bit different and better than ever, it was a lot different and better than ever.

The only other one that I know of that's unfiltered is George T. Stagg, first released in 2002.

:birthday: Enjoy that Booker's. I'm having some George T. Stagg 2005, 131.8 proof as we speak. Barely functional, third worst asthma attack ever, three steps from death's door. Be well, everyone. It's a chore just to come to the computer and type a little. Don't ask, don't tell. :duh:

Two guys drink half a bottle of 125-127 proof bourbon, 6.3 ounces each, or approximately four shots apiece, which is equal to over six shots of "regular" 80 proof liquor, and he's complaining. BigTom, it's okay with us, we want you to LIVE to see your next birthday. Relax, you're among friends. :dunno: :duh:

Ahhhhhhh, Rick from Dallas, how good after all these years to know that folks like Big Tom and Rick are always there. Speaking of Booker's again, I have found over the past few months that there are other bottles out there to compare somewhat favorably with the one I raved about to start off this thread. Somehow, there are bottles of Booker's coming out of Beam at a regular rate that indicate a much improved flavor profile. While it still retains the blast of initial fire in your mouth, the spicy oak and candy apple has altered into an ultra smooth, creamy, syrupy sweet, almost fruity flavor profile.

Very nice, Mr. Noe. Thanks to your dad and now you, we can continue to rely on a barrel proof bourbon that not only still sticks a butane torch lighter in your mouth, thinking it's a cigar, but has grown into an even better tasting product. And it always tasted just fine. It's a pleasant improvement in the flavor profile of this bourbon, and although it always has that handwritten description by Booker Noe saying that his grandfather, Jim Beam, liked his bourbon six to eight years old, I have drunk from a bottle as old as 8 years, 9 months. Superb stuff, too. I have also never seen a bottle less than seven years old.

Aside from two bottles that smacked heavily of potatoes three or so years ago, I've never had any bad Booker's, but truly, it's better than ever.