Booker’s 2021-01 “Donohoe’s Batch”
Since 2017 with “Tommy’s Batch”, Booker’s Bourbon has named the first batch of each year after someone from Booker Noe’s world — Kathleen in 2018, Teresa in 2019, Granny in 2020, and, in 2021, Mike Donohoe. According to Fred Noe’s Distiller Notes and the label inspiration, Mike was a friend of Booker’s who was the one to suggest giving Booker’s ‘special bottles’ to important distributors and industry partners.
One of my favorite parts of drinking Booker’s is seeing where the batch components came from. Donohoe’s Batch is drawn from six different locations across four rickhouses:
16% came from the 2nd floor of 9-story warehouse H
8% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H
4% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse L
16% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X
9% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse X
47% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
I’d love to sit down with Fred and Freddie Noe to really break down what flavors of each area contributed to the final product, and whether they came upon them with a profile in mind or as a happy accident (unlikely, but why not ask!).
That being said, I’m going to posit something that will probably make them want to avoid me and the Whiskey Ring Podcast at all costs: Booker’s is a blend. Not blended whiskey, which means neutral grain spirit can be added. A blend of whiskies, in this case, a blend of straight bourbons. There is a significant difference there, and I’ll go into it more in an upcoming article about the rebirth of American whiskey blending (sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss it! wink wink).
But what’s the problem with calling it a blend? Instead, Jim Beam/Suntory calls it ‘small batch’, as it does with the Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, and Baker’s. There’s no definition of what a small batch is - depending on the producer and their volume, a small batch can be three barrels or three hundred or three thousand - it’s all relative. Regardless of the number of barrels, though, isn’t a small batch automatically a blend of whiskies? Is blend such a bad word that a massive company like Jim Beam would rather call their bourbons ‘small batch’ than blend? It was none other than Booker Noe himself who coined ‘small batch’ - take that as you will.
So, what about this blend? There are anecdotal expectations that the first or second batch of Booker’s every year is subpar compared to the third or fourth (or fifth if you include the international release). Honestly, I don’t believe that for a second. In 2019, while Country Ham (2019-03) was possibly the best named batch I’ve ever tried, I loved Teresa’s Batch, too (2019-01). I loved Kathleen’s Batch in 2018 (2018-01), and while Boston Batch in 2020 (2020-02) won my 2020 Booker’s face-off, I could drink the peanut-bomb that is Granny’s Batch (2020-01) all day long.
I enjoyed this batch - it wasn’t mind-blowing, also was by no means a bad batch. That last part is more significant than the first since last year’s fourth batch was cancelled due to quality control reasons. Each Booker’s batch should be seen as a new branch on a tree trunk - there’s a central profile that every batch is meant to have, and each batch then builds off of that core with its own idiosyncrasies. The vanilla and peppery oak are there in spades. Donohoe’s branch-out is an exploration of dark chocolate (we’re talking at minimum 80% dark here). My first thought after finishing the tasting? Mix this with Granny’s Batch and try to make a dark chocolate Reese’s. I’ll be right back…
Booker’s 2021-01 “Donohoe’s Batch”: Specs
Classification: Bourbon
Origin: Jim Beam Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley
Proof: 125.3 (62.65% ABV)
Age: 6 Years, 11 Months, 4 Days
Location: Kentucky
Booker’s 2021-01 “Donohoe’s Batch” Price: $99
Booker’s 2021-01 “Donohoe’s Batch” Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark amber maple syrup. Thin rims, tiny droplet legs.
Nose: Drying oak and deep dark bourbon caramel slightly burnt. Black licorice, vanilla, a hint of the Beam nut profile. Proof is there for sure. Lots of white nectarines and sweeter, less tart stone fruit.
Palate: Tip-of-the-tongue burn that lasts and lasts, washing a lightly peanutty heat over my whole tongue. Tons of fruit at first, dried and unctuous, followed by dark dark chocolate (80% at least). Mouthfeel is classic Booker’s: strong heat on the palate, dark pretzel crusts, and lots of peppercorn spiciness with a medium-to-light body.
Finish: Medium length and dark chocolate all the way. Not quite baking chocolate, but not far from it either.
Overall: More of a dark chocolate bomb than any Booker’s I can remember. The nose is nuanced while the palate and finish are cocoa powder powerhouses. I’m seriously going to mix this with Granny’s Batch and see what happens.
Final Rating: 6.9
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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