Booker’s

Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2017-01 “Tommy’s Batch” Review


Earlier this year, I was asked to take part in the Booker’s Roundtable selection of the next batch of Booker’s.  That batch, 2017-01, or “Tommy’s Batch”, is now upon us.  Though I took part in selecting this batch, I’ll do my best to be as impartial as I can be with this post.

This batch is named after Tommy Crume, a longtime distillery who worked closely with the late Booker Noe.  Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe said the following about Tommy:

“I’m proud to share the first of four batches in the Booker’s® Bourbon 2017 Batch Collection, Batch 2017-01, also called Booker’s “Tommy’s Batch.” I’m especially pleased to release this special batch as our first, as it is named in tribute to Tommy Crume, who started his career at the distillery as a young man and worked closely alongside Dad for decades. They spent so much time together that we used to joke that he was like a second son to Dad!   

Over all those years, Tommy learned just how Dad liked things to be done around the distillery, especially when it came to his namesake bourbon and eventually worked his way up to Distillery Manager at the Clermont, Ky. plant, helping to make sure that everything continued to run just the way Dad would have wanted.   

After almost 30 years with us, Tommy retired in 2016 and I know Dad would be honored to name the first batch of 2017 after his dear friend. I hope you’ll join me in raising a glass of Booker’s “Tommy’s Batch” in celebration of Dad’s legacy and Tommy’s, too.” 

As for the bourbon, it’s a blend of whiskies from two production dates (January 2009 & July 2010) – making the youngest whiskey in the batch 6 years, 4 months, and 6 days old.  Barrels were pulled from the 6th and 7th floor of three warehouses.  It was a small batch (for Jim Beam, anyway), with 335 barrels comprising this release.  Like all batches of Booker’s, this is bottled at barrel proof (128.5). Also, it’s the first to be priced between $69.99 – $74.99, though a friend of mine saw it on a shelf for $54.  If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know my thoughts on the price increase.  Agree or disagree, we all have an opinion.

The nose is classic Booker’s – big and robust, with hints of vanilla, molasses, charred oak, kettle corn and herbs.  Taste-wise, right past that intital high octane burn, find toasted sweet corn and light brown sugar, developing into some cigar box, vanilla and toasted almonds.  A hint of chocolate covered oranges appears late-palate, along with a touch of fresh basil.  The finish is long and warming.  Something I’ve come to expect from Booker’s.  Lingering notes of honey nut cereal, molasses, and barrel char make you want to reach for another sip.  

Tommy’s Batch is another fantastic release of Booker’s.  It’s as good or slightly better than recent batches.  The faint ‘chocolate-covered oranges’ note is a welcome surprise.  I know the price increase is a touchy subject with many, and we all have our opinions.  Price aside, this new batch is classic “Booker’s,” and comes with my recommendation.  9/10

Thanks to Booker’s for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

That Time I Helped Pick a Batch of Booker’s Bourbon

Since starting this blog years ago, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing many whiskey geek moments.  I count myself very lucky.  The most recent of these was the opportunity to take part in a Booker’s Roundtable tasting.  Every so often, Jim Beam Master Distiller (and Booker Noe’s son) Fred Noe will gather with a handful of whiskey writers, enthusiasts, experts, and friends to pick out the next batch of Booker’s Bourbon.  Booker used to pick batches of his namesake bourbon with friends, and I’m glad to see the continuation of that tradition.  This Roundtable consisted of Chuck Cowdery, Lew Bryson, F. Paul Pacult, Nino Marchetti, Blake Riber, John McCarthy, Jack Robertiello, and myself.  Batch 2017-01, or “Tommy’s Batch,” is named after a 30+ year distillery employee and close friend of Booker’s who helped Booker with his barrel picks.  He was also on the call.

Doing a little pre-call tasting of both batches.

Regular readers of this blog, and anyone within earshot of me, know I consider Booker’s the best whiskey in the standard Jim Beam lineup.  I find it much more balanced than the older Knob Creek, which is also delicious but carries an oak-forward flavor profile.  Booker’s was on bourbon lover’s radars recently with an announced price increase that takes effect with this very batch of Booker’s I am helping to select.

How does the Booker’s Roundtable work?  Those selected will meet in person in Kentucky or via a conference call.  The latter is the case for this particular Roundtable selection.  The distillery usually sends three samples to each participant.  The samples are different batches of Booker’s, each with slight differences.  Fred leads a tasting and shares some production notes.  Our job is to taste each sample and pick the one we believe tastes most like Booker’s.  The batch with the most votes then gets bottled and goes to market.

This Roundtable selection was a touch different.  Participants only received samples from two batches of Booker’s instead of three.  Noe said the reason for that was a shortage of barrels of age needed to craft batches of Booker’s.  He also mentioned it’s why Beam is only releasing four batches instead of the usual six this year.


The breakdown of the two samples is as follows:

Batch A is 128.2 proof.  335 barrels came from two different production dates (January 2009 & July 2010) and three different warehouse locations:

  • 41% came from the 6th floor of warehouse E
  • 13% came from the 6th floor of warehouse H
  • 46% came from the 7th floor of warehouse D.

Batch B is 124.1 proof.  Barrels came from 5 different production dates (January 2009 & January – October 2010) and 4 different warehouses:

  • 7% came from the 5th floor of warehouse H
  • 19% came from the 4th floor of warehouse F
  • 18% came from the 5th floor of warehouse D
  • 18% came from the 5th floor of warehouse F
  • 38% came from the 4th floor of warehouse E

Both were great tasting bourbons.  While I found Batch B to be a touch more balanced but slightly muted, Batch A hit it out of the park.  With the exception of one participant, everyone (even Tommy) decided Batch A made for a much better batch of Booker’s – a big, rich, robust “back alley bruiser,” as someone on the call eloquently described it.

“Tommy’s Batch” is due to arrive on shelves in late February/early March.

Thanks to the folks at Beam and Multiply for inviting me to take part in the Booker’s Roundtable.

The Booker’s Bourbon Price Increase


I was going to share my thoughts regarding the new Booker’s price increase with an up coming review of Booker’s batch 2016-06. Earlier this evening, Fred Minnick broke the news that Jim Beam is going to gradually increase the price instead of the previously announced 66% jump in price. So we can now expect the price to sit in the $70 – $75 range in 2017, increasing thereafter.   So, I thought I’d share the piece I’d written earlier now instead of waiting:
Since I carefully first sipped my first pour of Booker’s years ago, I became an avid fan, consistently calling it the best regular production bourbon coming out of Jim Beam. I’ve tasted many batches, and have converted non-bourbon fans with the stuff. Again, I really like the stuff. So, when I heard of the price hike, I thought it was a mistake. Not the increase of price by 66%, but the jump straight to it.  Beam should have gradually increased their pricing years ago when the bourbon boom kicked off. They didn’t. When the brand saw a great sales increase by naming their batches in 2015, they should have increased their price. They didn’t.

Angry outcry doesn’t begin to describe Booker’s fans online. Just about every commentary I’ve read said it was bad news for the bigger bourbon world. I get it. A lot of folks are angry. The consensus seems to be Beam is creating a demand for a product by releasing less batches while at the same time upping the price in the name of greed.  Beam is a business, first and foremost. They saw Booker’s as an undervalued brand and thought it’s price should match it’s value. The old suggested price was $60, but it was easily found for $50 or less. I’d imagine the same would happen to the new batches, most likely being priced in the $80 – $95 range.  

Am I upset about the price jump? No. I believe Booker’s is worth $100 in our current market. So long as the quality holds, I still recommend it, and still plan to buy it as a gift. A gradual price increase would have just made it easier to swallow.