Booker’s 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch” Bourbon
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way - I made no secret about my…let’s say displeasure about the previous Booker’s, 2021-02 “Tagalong Batch”. It was young, raw, thin, and the first Booker’s that gave me pause as to whether I’d continue buying them. In fact, the day I picked this up from my friend John (shoutout to Hudson Wine Market), I did so with trepidation. I flat-out said that if this batch were as bad as the last, I would buy 2021-04 for the sake of completion but not buy again until the quality returned.
I’m here to say this right up front: Bardstown Batch slaps and slaps hard.
Welcome back, Booker’s.
Though this was almost assuredly not part of the plan, this batch’s name is poetic. In bringing back the classic Booker’s profile of roasted peanuts, raw (but controlled) power, jammy red fruit, and a late-entry chocolate push, Bardstown Batch quite literally brings Booker’s back to its roots.
The last few batches skewed hard from that profile to their detriment. Last year’s Granny’s Batch was a peanut bomb, great but one note. Boston Batch was my best of the year, but in a year where only three were released due to quality concerns, it wasn’t a high bar. Country Ham, the third batch from 2019 and arguably the best of the more recent batches, is excellent precisely because it is identifiably Booker’s behind its own unique contribution to the portfolio.
Bardstown is at the very core of the Noe family line. Booker himself moved there once he moved full-time into the family business and lived there for the rest of his life. Beyond being perhaps the unofficial home of the entire bourbon industry, Bardstown is also a home for many of bourbon’s luminaries here and gone, Booker, Fred, and Freddie included. They walk the rackhouses looking for the best bourbon they have, day after day. It’s only modestly figurative to say the bourbon is in their blood.
This isn’t quite up to the Country Ham batch, but it might be the closest one to it since that release. The nose is a bit muted, and it’s not until the palate you realize how good this is. Like most Booker’s, it’s not for the faint of heart. It will knock you on your ass. And yes, by age and proof, I can’t argue with those who think a Knob Creek pick or even an everyday Knob Creek bottle is a better value - especially as Booker’s MSRP continues to creep up. For me, I keep buying it because there’s something about the art of blending that I deeply appreciate (when done right) and because, well, I’m a sucker for a tasty punch in the face.
I do love Booker’s Bourbon, and I am incredibly happy that the next batch (already out in some places, amazingly) won’t be the last one to join my collection. Thanks, Fred, and welcome back.
Info from the Booker’s Bourbon website:
The batch is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in six distinct rackhouse locations within five different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s Bardstown Batch is as follows:
8% came from the 2nd floor of 9-story Rackhouse H
27% came from the 5th floor of 9-story Rackhouse H
24% came from the 6th floor of 9-story Rackhouse D
11% came from the 5th floor of 7-story Rackhouse Z
19% came from the 5th floor of 7-story Rackhouse 1
11% came from the 8th floor of 9-story Rackhouse J
Booker’s 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch” Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Jim Beam Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley
Proof: 125.5 (62.25% ABV)
Age: 6 Years, 5 Months, 0 Days
Location: Kentucky
Booker’s 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch” Bourbon Whiskey Price: $90
Booker’s 2021-03 “Bardstown Batch” Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Burnished copper. Thin rims and very thin legs.
Nose: Dust from the in-shell peanut bag. Fresh-cracked peanuts, too. The dusty peanut note just keeps building. No proof heat or oak at all, somewhat muted nose at first.
Palate: Straight up roasted-in-shell peanuts (surprising, I know). Mixed berry jam and fresh red fruits. The proof roars in a few seconds later before mellowing to a great, balanced burn. Mouthfeel is velvety and hot, tingling the whole tongue with Szechuan-level heat. Burning tobacco, a cigar lit on an oak fire.
Finish: The proof dominates for a bit here (all proof though, no oak). Once it fades a little, the roasted peanuts sneak back with a pleasant dark chocolate and blackberry finish. Quite long and flavorful.
Overall: I tried this blind, but I knew from the nose it was Booker’s. The question then was whether it would be good, great, or terrible. It took me a minute, but it came to one thought: if this is Booker’s, it’s back! Hot, brash, but flavorful, with peanuts, jams, and a late chocolate rush. Damn good.
Final Rating: 7.4
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, 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)
