Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored

Served on a warm evening. Appearance: pale gold, with very slow-moving legs. Nose presents abundant cherries, gala apples, figs, cinnamon, banana, brown sugar, maple syrup, and oak in the far distance. The oak and hints of varnish and tobacco become more prominent over time. Traces of rye bread and spearmint are also present. This nose is a 9.5/10. I could inhale this indefinitely. Flavor is hot and sweet, thick with a rush of maple, brown sugar, and spice, leading to an oily, oaky finish supported by some fruit notes. Amazing. The allspice, clove, peppermint, a touch of white pepper all blend with brown sugar and vanilla – then come the oak/earthy and sweet tobacco notes. The finish endures. What is this?!? It's substantial and robust without leaning too heavily in any single direction. Not astringent or drying. Not bitter at all. No strange fruity notes. It's incredibly well-integrated. This is like Heaven Hill amplified to the max, but with more dark/sweet/earthy characteristics than I've experienced from, for instance, ECBP. It lacks prominent dill or cedar, so it's not MGP. No Turkey bubblegum funk. No Barton banana funk. Not overly stonefruit and vanilla like BT products. No Beam peanut funk. I'm still leaning towards HH, but who knows. I still detect wood, sweet cherries, and tobacco with vanilla sugar many minutes later. Is this a blend? Sweet heavens, this is excellent. Truly excellent. As good as the best pour I've had in a long time. Age - perhaps a sweet 9-13 years, leaning towards 10-12, but sweet enough it could be younger. Regardless, it was bottled at the perfect moment. Oily enough to suggest an aged, wheated mash bill, but absolutely delicious. Better than Larceny Barrel Proof. And wonderfully spicy. I'm unsure about the mash bill; the nose suggests high rye, but the oily finish is striking. This ranks among the top 5. Superior to Bardstown Distillers series #3, Cream of Kentucky 13, and possibly even Weller FP (sometimes too earthy) or ECBP A119 or B520…. It won't assault you like Stagg Jr or GTS. This is easily in Kentucky Owl batch 10's class. Better than my cherished Lux Row Double barrel or Garrison’s Cowboy?? I hesitate to say it - this is the epitome of well-executed and highly desirable. Immense gratitude to a friend for this pour - it might just be among the finest bourbons I've ever tasted. Reveal: Little Book Chapter 4 Remarkable. Well done, Beam, truly well done! I wonder if the brown rice whiskey contributed to the unusual viscosity? It also seemed significantly more fruit-forward than typical KC or Booker's (though I always noted a distinct cherry note in Baker's). As a blend, it possesses some inherent advantages – but I'm indifferent to that. Expressions like this make me question why more blended American whiskeys aren't available outside of Barrell. The creative potential beyond blending barrels from a single distillery is evident, leading to tremendous results here (though ultimately all from Beam). I must admit that High West Bourye and WM Tarr don't achieve what this does, but I encourage continued efforts because this is phenomenal.

Score: 19/23 Nose: Pungent, aged wood with a suggestion of tangerine and a whisper of minerality. Hints of sweet, dry corn and a faint echo of peanut emerge. Palate: Spicy, somewhat aged wood. Not as full-bodied as Booker's Shiny Barrel, but potentially more intricate due to the aged wood notes. It's also less intense, rough, and sharp than Booker's Country Ham. Perhaps the rice contributes to the aged notes and subtle nuttiness. Instead of tangerine, I detect lemon and cherry. It's slightly more viscous and definitely smoother with a fuller mellowness. It occupies a rich, fairly sweet, substantially full, and decently spiced (but not hot) profile. Finish: The minerality and aged nutty character persist. I feel like there should be more, but it's not really there. - Final Thoughts - I wouldn't claim this surpasses the standard Booker's range, but it offers more complexity and maturity with an intriguing profile. I believe I prefer it over Country Ham, though Shiny Barrel remains my top pick so far. This bears a resemblance to Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 – not in its exact taste, but in its high-proof nature and a peculiar blend of flavors that give it a dual impression of youth and age. It also evokes Corsair Grainiac by incorporating unusual, subtle flavors. All things considered, the lowest I could rate this is a 17. Realistically, I see it between 18 and 20. It edges out Booker's Country Ham, but I wouldn't say it's superior to Booker's Shiny Barrel. It presents strong competition for Wild Turkey Rare Breed. While their styles differ, their quality is quite close to Booker's Shiny Barrel, which I've rated a 19 and could see reaching a 20. Ultimately, I'm settling on a 19 for this one. Thanks to a friend for the sample!

Following up on the third bottling, I'm moving directly to the fourth. So far, the second and third were excellent. The fourth is a blended American whiskey, combining bourbon and rye, including a bourbon with oats in its mash bill. It promises to be interesting. The nose immediately shows the rye content with notes of dill, black pepper, black licorice, clove, nutmeg, and orange peel. It also has carrot cake, toffee, caramel, heavy brown sugar, black tea, tobacco, and oak. It's layered and potent. Fantastic. The palate offers caramel, brown sugar, toffee, and vanilla, along with peach tea, apricot, and carrot cake. Spices like cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and oak are present, as well as bitter cocoa and tobacco. It's heavily oaked. Very good. The finish is marked by bitter cocoa, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, black tea, tobacco, orange peel, sawdust, and significant oak bitterness. It's a long finish, as expected from a 122.8 proof spirit. I give it 5/5. This is my favorite Chapter in the Little Book series. Jim Beam has achieved something spectacular with this whiskey blend. The final product surpasses the sum of its components with Chapter 4. The nose, palate, and finish each feel distinct, showcasing the best characteristics of the various whiskies in the blend. If you appreciate any previous Chapter of the Little Book series, I highly recommend this one.

I'd heard excellent reviews of Booker's Little Book collection, and my brother constantly praises them. I seized the chance to acquire this bottle upon its release, opened it with him and some companions, then set it aside until recently. Initially, the aroma presents baked cinnamon rolls, followed by sour cherry and candied orange peel. This progresses to dark chocolate-coated roasted peanuts, cola, and finishes with barrel characteristics like leather, dusty oak, and spices, accompanied by a moderate alcohol sting. The palate begins with a medium texture, featuring creamy peanut butter caramel rice pudding, then cinnamon rolls with sour cherry and candied orange zest. It continues to dark chocolate, leather, dusty oak, and barrel spices, culminating in a moderate to strong alcohol bite. The finish is of medium duration, with cherry cola, caramel peanut butter rice pudding, leather, and abundant lingering barrel spices. In summary, this possesses numerous pleasing flavors, and I appreciate the inclusion of rice whiskey, which imparts a rice pudding sensation. I'm pleased to have experienced this and shared it with friends, but I wouldn't seek out another bottle.

This is the first installment of Little Book that I've managed to acquire. Having heard considerable acclaim for this series, I'm eager to see how it compares. The aroma aligns with traditional expectations, offering notes of vanilla and brown sugar with a slight ethanol presence. The initial taste is a burst of cinnamon. Surprisingly, given the conventional aroma, I wasn't expecting such intensity. There's some depth here, with very subtle fruit undertones and a distinct French toast essence. The cinnamon heat lingers prominently at the end, concluding with a toasty note. My final impression is that they could have easily named this 'Chapter 4 Cinnamon French Toast' and been done with it. I thoroughly enjoyed the layers in this pour, but like many unique experimental releases, I can understand why some might find it less appealing. For me, it's an excellent pour, and I definitely recommend it, particularly to cinnamon enthusiasts.

NOSE: Caramel, dried orchard fruits, butterscotch, spice, old candy, biscuits, a hint of herbs, oak, and banana. It has a very sweet yet surprisingly dry aroma, similar to a Canadian whisky but with a more rustic bourbon character. PALATE: Dried corn/raw grain, butterscotch, banana, dried orchard fruits, spice, old candy, copper, a hint of herbs, a farmy quality, and a peanutty note. It's dry and warm, with an overall earthiness that adds complexity beyond the sweet aroma. The palate of this Little Book Chapter 04: Lessons Honored is more reminiscent of Beam than the aroma suggests. FINISH: Medium, with malty hay, banana, butterscotch, and dried apples. Baking spice fades into a soft, subtly sweet, metallic note.