Booker's Bourbon Batch 2020-03 "Pigskin Batch"

As Booker's becomes a coveted and pricey collectible, I'm finally reviewing it for my 50th. It's fitting, as this bourbon isn't a once-in-a-lifetime find, unlike my future century review. I've collected Booker's since 2015, buying two of each batch since 2017. I always liked the cool, yummy-smelling wooden box packaging. This review is an ode to the past, because the rising prices mean I'll soon stop buying it. It's a shame. How did we go from $49.99 to over $100 for a 6.25-year-old bourbon? I found this batch for a "reasonable" $69.99 and bought the rest, thinking it was the last chance at that price. What a shame. I need to remember this isn't a rant forum. Let's get to the tasting. Neck pour Nose: Dry-roasted peanut skins, vanilla-tinged alcohol fumes, cherry cotton candy, chocolate fudge, light caramel toffee, and varnish. With patience, a pleasant, balanced aroma emerges, growing significantly over time. Palate - Echoes the nose with classic bourbon notes, corn cereal, and peanut trail mix. Adding water brings out more fruit but intensifies the bitter oak on the mid-palate. Finish is long and persistent. Continues the palate with an underlying wood spice and bitter tannins throughout. The wood prevents the finish from being overly sweet. A warm Kentucky hug concludes it. Overall: Decent. The initial pour was neither amazing nor disappointing. Subsequent pours after a few days were much better. I'd say it's slightly above average, but I'm unsure about the "Booker's hype." I'll reserve final judgment on the Booker's line until I spend more time with this bottle and try others in my collection. I'm still hoping other batches offer something distinct. Compared to Old Forester single barrel cask strength (review soon) and 15-year George Dickel single barrel cask strength, the GD has a slight edge over Booker's, with OF in third place, very closely behind. For my palate, my ranking is 1-GD 15Yr SiB Csk strength, 2a-Booker's 2020-3, 2b-OF SiB Cask strength. Cheers POD! PS: Starting another dry month tomorrow, part of my "1-dry-month-per-quarter" plan. We'll see how long it lasts. Good luck to me!

Aroma: The familiar nutty, biscuity character of Beam. For me, Booker's usually sits within a 10-15% range, and this is no different. It's oak-forward, with caramel and vanilla notes. It's worth noting the vanilla is a bit less prominent than typical, which I personally enjoy, though I understand it might not be for everyone. The alcohol content keeps it robust and intense, although it's not leaping out of the glass like some previous batches. Notes of chocolate-covered strawberries and those chocolate cordial cherries are present. There's also an herbaceous quality – mint, thyme, and the like – alongside black pepper and clove. Cinnamon is detectable, along with other standard baking spices. Taste: Substantial and rich. Once again, it plays it safe. Caramel, oak, and vanilla dominate. Red hots. Peanut M&Ms. The same herbs and spices from the aroma are all here as well. It leans more towards sweetness, but otherwise remains consistent. The barrel's impact and the proof give it a "big" feel, and the tannins and lactones enhance that, with a bitterness that helps balance everything else. It registers mostly on the back and middle of the palate, with distinct mid-range and upper notes. The texture is medium to heavy. Finish: A large wave of ethanol, then charred oak, vanilla, and suddenly a surge of cinnamon candy. Think red hots or red tamales – it's rare for a specific note to resonate this strongly with me. The vanilla is still present, but remains quite subdued. The flavors quickly fade, and mint and thyme emerge but are still overshadowed by the remnants of everything else. It transitions into some lovely cantaloupe, apricot, and banana notes. It's of medium duration, but while it lasts, it's quite something. Additional thoughts: It's Booker's. A consistently good, high-quality offering from Beam. If you've tried a few, you know generally what to anticipate. While I generally avoid discussing price unless it's particularly notable or relevant, I must address the recent price increases. Although I've been relatively unaffected in my local area (some shops here mistakenly price Booker's and Little Book similarly, selling both below suggested retail), it's disappointing that others haven't had the same fortune. I'm aware that this year saw one fewer release in this line, and according to my recollection, a specific batch didn't meet the distillery's quality standards. I can only assume these recent price hikes are to compensate for the reduced number of releases. I hold out hope (perhaps naively) that this situation will be temporary. We've seen other distilleries alter or remove age statements, or announce proof changes only to revert due to consumer feedback and maintain the original proof, all without impacting price. I wonder if Beam might consider revising the recent price adjustments and rolling some back. However, if the line continues to sell just as well, that's unlikely. Personally, this will make me reconsider; I'll probably still buy one bottle of each batch, but I'll be much more hesitant to repurchase them. And I certainly won't be recommending them as strongly as I have previously. As always, cheers!

Smells of alcohol, but there's also a nice, surprisingly old wood note here. Although it's mixed with biting alcohol, it reminds me a bit of an older Dickel. There's some nice cinnamon coming off of the wood, a little vanilla richness, and a hint of black licorice. An odd hint of lemon as well. And some peanut shells with the wood. Ooh, and there's some nice caramel too! The taste has a lot of alcohol flavor, and it really burns. Like a lot, even for Booker's. There's a really nice orange flavor like a hard candy, but that slightly industrial alcohol really overshadows it. I get nice black licorice as well, but, wow, that alcohol. There's some cinnamon, but that's not most of what I'm getting from the alcohol. Some sort of bitter herbal flavor as well. Ah, I'm getting a bit of that Jim Beam peanut mixed with peanut shells now. I like these additional flavors, but they're really fighting with the alcohol, which has a little too much of a fusel quality. The finish has alcohol burn, licorice, alcohol flavor, bits of orange. Maybe some wood or something. It burns and isn't that complex. Booker's is pretty good, but this is unfortunately the worst of the roughly 10 releases I have tried. There's way too much alcohol here and it isn't even that full or complex. I could maybe reach a 17 in my wildest fantasies, but I'm thinking that this is more in the 14 to 16 range and I'm leaning toward a 16. Side by side, this is just not on the level of George Dickel Bottled In Bond. This burns way too much and it's actually a little harsh. If it weren't for the burn and harshness, I might put them really close, but that difference definitely pushes this down. This seems closer in quality to my 15-year-old single barrel bottling of Dickel 15. I'm shifting to a 15 for this. Taking one final tasting, I'm torn here. I think that this is better than Dickel 15 and Uncle Nearest 1856, but not quite on the level of Dickel Bottled In Bond. It's hard to tell against Russell's Reserve 10, so this is a very borderline case. I think I'm going to give it a low 16 on the grounds that I've faintly considered giving the Uncle Nearest a 16 at times and the Dickel Bottled In Bond is on the higher end of 16. Thank you, a friend, for giving me a taste of this one.

Booker's Small Batch Bourbon is the work of whiskey geniuses Fred and Booker Noe. As master distillers, this father and son duo is considered top-tier in the business, both employed by the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, KY. Annually, the Noes put out four batches of Booker's Bourbon that are highly desired. Once a batch is released, the next one begins, making them quite popular with Jim Beam enthusiasts and collectors. From what I've tasted, some batches have been amazing, while others have been less impressive. Booker's Bourbon Batch 2020-03 “Pigskin” is a straight bourbon from the Jim Beam Distillery. Batch 2020-03 is the latest in their Booker's line of high-proof bourbons. This bourbon, bottled at 127.3 proof/63.65% ABV after roughly six and a half years of aging, is named “Pigskin” perfectly for the end of Football season. The recipe includes 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley. The flavor profile for this bourbon is quite direct with its usual bourbon characteristics. Appearance: Clear Tawny The aroma is rich with sweet bourbon notes of butterscotch, cinnamon, brown butter, and caramel. These are joined by hints of cherry pie, banana bread, toasted oak, and a subtle nutty quality. The taste starts with notes of scorched wood, very much like burnt sawdust. This is followed by roasted peanuts and more butterscotch sweetness. There's a significant alcohol heat, and the spirit feels less mature. The finish is lengthy with considerable alcohol burn, charred oak, and cherry notes. While the nose was excellent, the palate and finish fall short in depth, as the taste didn't match the scents.

When I first opened this 10 days ago, it was pretty bad... harsh, watery, and unimpressive. I tried a 1792 Full Proof single barrel the same day, and it completely overshadowed this Booker’s Pigskin batch, costing half as much. Trying it again today, this Booker’s has really mellowed out, showing the familiar Booker’s flavor of sweet nuts. It’s still not as full-bodied as I’d expect for the cost and proof, but at least I don’t regret buying it anymore. It costs $100 in Michigan, but luckily I found it for $70 on sale in Indiana. It’s definitely not worth a Benjamin, and for $70, I’d choose ECBP every time over this Booker’s, and WT Rare Breed when I’m on a tighter budget. This will likely be my final bottle of Booker’s, as the quality just doesn’t match what’s advertised for a premium bourbon. Perhaps I should adjust my expectations for a 6-7 year old spirit, but honestly, maybe Jim Beam should adjust the price to match the whiskey inside the bottle.

NOSE Oak, cherry-forward dried dark fruit, cocoa, leather, roasted nuts, honeysuckle, brown sugar, spiced and candied orange peel, and a hint of vanilla. This is about as classic a Booker's nose as you can get: oaky and darkly sweet with a candied and nutty base. PALATE Oak, cherry-forward dried dark fruit, roasted nuts, cocoa, leather, honeysuckle, brown sugar, spiced and candied orange peel, with hints of vanilla and herbal notes. It's nearly identical to the aroma but with nuttiness more prominent and a slight herbal kick that's fairly unique to the Booker's 2020-03 Pigskin Batch. FINISH Long -> Oak, dried dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, and peanuts that seems to fade for days.