Booker’s 2020 Face-Off
It’s that time of year! Time to try all four…err…three Booker’s offerings from this year in a blind, head-to-head battle for high-proof peanut bomb supremacy.
For the last few years, Booker’s has routinely put out four batches per year in the US and a 5th batch for the international market (inconsistent on this one). But this year, as if 2020 couldn’t get worse, we lost out on what was originally Batch 3 for this year. Jim Beam cancelled the third batch for a lack of quality and consistency to the Booker’s brand, something to my knowledge has not happened before (at least not publicly).
It seems we’ll never know what was wrong with the batch and - more importantly - what they did with the liquid! But alas, we are left with only 3 for this year’s Booker’s face-off.
Will the peanut bomb of Granny’s Batch win out? Will there be remarkable consistency among three batches all bottled between 63.20% and 63.65%? Will I be happy with the results (not a fair question - Booker’s always makes me happy 😁)
For the last few years, Booker’s has routinely put out four batches per year in the US and a 5th batch for the international market (inconsistent on this one). But this year, as if 2020 couldn’t get worse, we lost out on what was originally Batch 3 for this year. Jim Beam cancelled the third batch for a lack of quality and consistency to the Booker’s brand, something to my knowledge has not happened before (at least not publicly).
It seems we’ll never know what was wrong with the batch and - more importantly - what they did with the liquid! But alas, we are left with only 3 for this year’s Booker’s face-off.
Will the peanut bomb of Granny’s Batch win out? Will there be remarkable consistency among three batches all bottled between 63.20% and 63.65%? Will I be happy with the results (not a fair question - Booker’s always makes me happy 😁)
Booker’s Batch 2020-01 “Granny’s Batch”
63.2% ABV/126.4 Proof
6 Years, 4 Months, 21 Days Old
Eye: Amber-hued maple syrup. Thin to medium rim bleeds drops and slow legs.
Nose: Peanut shells and skins, salted and roasted. Peanut bomb throughout without much heat.
Palate: Roasted peanuts dominate and the heat tingles every corner of your mouth without numbing it from the flavor. Mouth filling, a fantastic viscous mouthfeel.
Finish: Long, peanutty with a pleasant heat.
Overall: Typical Booker’s feel but a very out-there profile that takes the quintessential Jim Beam nuttiness and cranks it to 11. Every part of a peanut comes through from the shell to the skin to the little shards of nut that break off. Deliciously roasty-toasty throughout. Just off-profile enough that I wouldn’t know it was a Booker’s, but I don’t care. Give me this for days.
Booker’s Batch 2020-02 “Boston Batch"
63.25% ABV/126.5 Proof
6Y 3M 10D
Eye: Amber maple syrup. Very thin rims and few droplet legs.
Nose: A little tight - some vanilla and peanut brittle eke out. As it opens, it’s obvious this is much fruitier than Granny’s Batch - red fruits and stewed dates. Neither spice nor heat ever appear on the nose, not unexpected for a high proofer but unexpected for a Booker’s. Air opens up just a bit more peanut and red fruit.
Palate: Nuanced peanuts. Good proof heat on the tip of my tongue. Jammy fruits, sticky and tart. Behind the peanut brittle, the fruits start to explode - stone fruits first followed by super dark cherries, dates, sticky toffee pudding. A real wow of a palate. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, oily, hot, coating, and gets into every corner of my mouth.
Finish: Long with the peanuts and nut skins joining freshly jellied fruits while the heat slowly fades.
Overall: Where Granny’s Batch was peanuts in every form but ultimately not too complex, Boston’s Batch is much more interesting. I’d say it’s within the general Booker’s profile, but more on the fruity side than usual (I’m used to Booker’s being more on the vanilla, nuts, and baked goods, and there’s little to no vanilla for me here). It’s a different direction, but a delicious one. Incredible.
Booker’s Batch 2020-03 “Pigskin Batch"
63.65% ABV/127.3 Proof
6Y 7M 7D
Eye: Dark amber. Barely any rims, very thin legs.
Nose: Again tight, just like Boston Batch. What little comes out, even with air, is close in profile to Boston - fruity and peanut-y, perhaps more the former than the latter.
Palate: Super oaky and astringent, so much so it caught me off guard. Feels like the flavor and liquid is being sucked out of your mouth. Lots of white pepper, charred oak, cherries and plums way in the back with lots of baking spices. Some peanuts emerge on subsequent sips but oak is the star. Baked vanilla brioche, spicy caramel brittle without much nuttiness - it’s strange drinking Booker’s with so little nuttiness. Mouthfeel is incredibly drying on the first sip, less so on subsequent ones. Medium-bodied and coating, really gets to every part of the mouth if not for too long.
Finish: Long, but dry and somewhat muted flavor wise - the oak just overtakes everything as it closes out.
Overall: The nose indicated this would be much more like Boston Batch, then the palate forgets the nose ever happened - no nuts, minimal fruit, tons of drying oak and spice. It feels like there’s a Booker’s here, but the oak is somehow muting the experience at every turn. Still enough Booker’s there for me to enjoy, but not my favorite.
So this one wasn’t much of a contest to be honest. Boston Batch wins in a landslide.
Now, let’s be real…I LOVE Granny’s Batch. It’s liquid peanut goodness in every conceivable form, and if there’s any bottle I get multiples of this year it’s probably that one. BUT - as a whiskey, as a bourbon, as a bottle, Boston Batch is by far the most balanced and complex of the three, even if it’s on the outer edge of the Booker’s profile. Granny’s is one-note, it just happens to be that rare one-note whiskey where that note is exceptional.
I doubt this will ever happen, but I want to know more about what happened to the original Batch 2020-03. What about it was “wrong” or “off-profile”? How long did they try to fix it, and did any of it end up in Pigskin Batch?
To me, something is still kind of off about the last batch. It’s rare a whiskey is so astringent up front that my entire mouth dries out instantaneously. Even though the drying sensation ebbs, there’s still this feeling that the batch was rushed and not fully fleshed out. Granny’s Batch dives to the deep end of the Jim Beam and Booker’s core, and Boston Batch goes the complete opposite direction and teeters on the edge of being in the Booker’s profile. Pigskin Batch is just…there. I would probably pick out the proof level and maybe the age based on the oakiness alone, but flavor wise I would probably get as close as a Beam product and stop there. It’s fine, it’s not bad, it’s just not a great batch.
I’ll have to see if Boston Batch is good enough to crack my Top Bourbons of 2020. It puts up a hell of showing, and I can’t wait to have it again.
