Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch”
The Godfather, Part III is widely considered the worst movie of the series, yet it spawned one of the trilogy’s most iconic lines: “every time I try to get out they pull me back in”, spoken by Al Pacino as Michael Corleone.
Well, Booker’s, I’ll be frank: I really thought I was out. Ever-decreasing age statements, batches that I found bland or bad, maybe one great batch a year, and of course the increasing price. I was about to skip this year altogether. Last year, the first batch (Donohoe’s) was ok, I hated the second batch (Tagalong), Bardstown I thought was solid, and Noe Stranger’s was ok but less than Bardstown.
I skipped 2022-01, Ronnie’s Batch, mainly because I didn’t see it on shelves, but I really don’t know if I would have picked one up. I picked 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch” on an impulse buy to see if it was worth it, thinking it might be my last Booker’s for a long time. I felt the same way I did after trying the Tagalong Batch last year and before I tried Bardstown.
Just like then, Booker’s found a way to keep me back in. Unlike Bardstown, though, I think Lumberyard is more than solid - it’s excellent. The Booker’s profile is based on a few pillars: vanilla, a proof punch, pepperiness that can be part of the oak or independent, and a medium-full mouthfeel. It’s the bourbon Booker Noe supposedly drank, so it had to be what he liked. Lumberyard has all of these in spades.
The Lumberyard batch honors Booker’s pre-distilling history. From the Booker’s Bourbon website:
After a short stint at the University of Kentucky, Booker hitch-hiked across America in hopes of joining the Air Force. After being accepted to the Air Force, the local police called his mom to verify his information to be cleared. When Booker’s Mom found out where he was, she convinced him to come home and work at the local lumberyard with uncle Jeremiah Beam, also known as Uncle Jere. Booker was over 6 feet tall and very strong at an early age. He never backed away from physical labor of any kind, which made him a natural fit for the job. Booker gave 110% during his time at the lumberyard, which eventually landed him his first role working at the distillery and from then on, the rest was history.
Since that first day, Booker held just about every job at the distillery and worked his way up to Master Distiller. Booker’s esteemed distilling career wasn’t given to him, he earned it. His experience at the lumberyard shaped the solid work ethic and curiosity he is known for. I am excited to share The Lumberyard Batch with you and hope you will be able to gather with family and friends to enjoy it.
There’s also a greater variation in barrel locations than I remember seeing in a while as well:
2% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X
3% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5
3% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse D
17% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
19% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
28% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
28% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
There’s two more quick things to touch on.
First, each Booker’s batch comes with a tag in the box and a matching profile online. Under the barrel locations, the team puts a description of the bourbon inside - the tasting notes they get or expect you to get. What might have gotten under my skin most about the Ronnie’s Batch description was the über-anodyne description:
This batch has a nice color and a rich vanilla aroma with hints of brown spice that you can enjoy even before your first sip.
Um…well, this is bourbon, and Booker’s…so, duh? And using “nice color” felt like a cop-out. They really couldn’t think of a version of amber, honey, tea, wood, something other than “nice color"? It felt lazy. Think I’m reading too much into this? Look at the previous batches. Hell, look at the description for The Lumberyard Batch:
The beautiful amber of this batch reminds me of the horses that will compete on the racetrack. The aroma is deep with hints of vanilla and oak that lead you back to enjoy it several times to explore its depth. It has a balanced taste with a bit of sweetness and a pleasant finish that will leave you longing for another sip.”
Better? yes. Slightly redundant? yes. The point is, I can imagine horses on a racetrack and the variety of brown colorations. I like the idea of a palate that invites more sipping rather than a nose that I enjoy before the sip, if only because the latter suggests you don’t need to sip it to experience it. That’s a logical extreme, of course, but that’s how I read into it.
The second part is the age. This is the first Booker’s above 7 years old since the first three batches of 2015. Some batches since have come closer, but most were closer to 6-6.5 years old. I understand that it goes by the youngest drop, and that there’s almost surely 7+ year old bourbon in many of those batches, but recently they’ve been tasting younger and younger, to the point of not-being-ready younger. I’m not someone who cares much about age statements - I care about whether it tastes ready. The 7-year mark became a straw man in my mind, and so while it’s not ultimately that important, I’m glad to see the number on the label.
So, long story short, this Booker’s bought the brand another batch or two in my book. I may go back and try Ronnie’s Batch just to keep the completionist in me from going nuts, but more likely I’ll just look forward. Well done, Fred and co., well done.
Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch” Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: James B. Beam Distillery
Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Barley
Proof: 124.8 (62.40% ABV)
Age: 7 Years, 1 Month, 7 Days Old
Location: Kentucky
Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch” Whiskey Price: $499
Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch” Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Fossilized amber. Thin dissipating rims, teardrops fall slowly.
Nose: Roasting, slightly burnt peanuts. This smells like the Booker’s of old, rounded, powerful flavor-driven proof, complex nuttiness. Toasted graham crackers, cinnamon whipped honey, marsala wine.
Palate: Peanuts now out of the shell, dark raisins, proof not overpowering at all. This is a classic Booker’s profile. Some wet tobacco, vanilla bean creme brûlée. Mouthfeel is silky, chewy without being heavy, pepper and oak on the first half of my tongue. The roasted peanuts reassert as the proof dies down.
Finish: Roasted nuts continue, less specifically peanuts now. Medium-length, freshly made brittle cooling. Delicious.
Overall: Every time I’m ready to give up on Booker’s, it comes out with a batch like this. Well done.
Final Rating: 7.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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