Brian’s Booker’s 2021-04 Noe Strangers Batch Bourbon:
reviewed 22-February-2022
BOOKER’S 2021-04 NOE STRANGERS BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:
For me, Booker’s 2021-04 Noe Strangers Batch (Booker’s 2021-04) is the most “un-Bookerish” release I have ever enjoyed. And enjoy is not a strong enough accolade. It may even be the best batch since my first, Booker’s 2018-01 Kathleen’s Batch, and all of the others since. Its aromas are fruity, and the flavors are full of jammy heat. The signature Booker’s nuttiness is more sensed than tasted or smelled. This bourbon would be just as good with a PB&J sandwich as it would with a slow-smoked brisket. There is no need to add water. It lessens both aromas and flavors and shortens the finish. I only wish I had several backup bottles in the bunker as I have a feeling this one is not going to last.
BOOKER’S 2021-04 NOE STRANGERS BATCH VITAL STATS:
Category: Small Batch Bourbon
Region: Clermont, Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam, Master Distiller Fred Noe
Small Batch: 2021-04 Noe Strangers Batch
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Casks: New Charred Oak
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Age: 6 Years 6 Months 12 Days
ABV: 62.2% (124.4 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 16906
Price: $89.95 (Idaho, Dec 2021)
Availability: Allocated, limited, released quarterly/tri-anually
MASTER DISTILLER NOTES:
Noe Strangers batch comes from four production dates, with barrels aged in four different warehouses as follows:
39% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse J
31% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
27% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse D
3% came from the 2nd floor of 9-story warehouse H
LABEL INSPIRATION
The fourth release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-04 ‘Noe Strangers Batch.’ This batch celebrates the genuine, social nature of my dad, Booker Noe, and the way he could turn a stranger into a friend for life in no time.
Take for example when Dad took a liking to the products that a salesman was selling. He would call out to Mom and say, “Set an extra plate at the table, I’m inviting this salesman to dinner!” Another time, Dad was invited to a rally for the Blue Knights® Motorcycle Club, an international brotherhood of active and retired law enforcement officers who share a passion for motorcycle riding. There he struck up a conversation with some of the members, and the next day, more than 300 of them were invited to the house for lunch.
His knack for making friends carried into his work as well. Here in Kentucky and out on the road, Dad wouldn’t leave a bourbon event until he shook hands with everyone that wanted to talk to him. He’d listen to stories from every customer he met and just like that, they’d become a fan – and a friend – for life. Dad taught us to ‘treat others how we would want to be treated’– a lesson our family holds true to this day. It’s just the way us Noes are wired.
As you enjoy “Noe Strangers Batch,” I hope you’ll think of Dad and his generous way of making everyone he met feel at home. Like we always say at the distillery: come as friends, leave as family.
— Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller
Learn more at Booker’s Bourbon.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
Taken out of the newly opened bottle, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating pours, four once review amounts went into two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
BOOKER’S 2021-04 NOE STRANGERS BATCH NOSE:
The first wafts of Booker’s 2021-04 caught me off guard, but pleasantly so. The pour is unlike a typical Booker’s … It smells juicy, like a fruity oak aged Chardonnay, but deeper and darker. With further nosing I detect dark dried currants, and both black and blueberries with some fresh apple butter sprinkled with allspice, white pepper and rye. The aromas are sweet, like rich vanilla infused yellow cake with a light brown sugar and toffee frosting. And while I get nuts, they are more of sensation than anything specific. And when I bring the Glencairn to my mouth, I smell the toasted wood of sweet light oak BBQ smoke.
BOOKER’S 2021-04 NOE STRANGERS BATCH PALATE:
Booker’s 2021-04 has the characteristic warming high proof bourbon burn I get in most Booker’s releases. But while I do taste the typical subtle roasted corn, this one is usually jammy and full of dark berry nectar with flavors of ripe currants and fresh raisins. For me, this is the most fruit forward Booker’s I can remember – think dark berry jam with heat. Along with fruitiness, I taste cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper balanced by rich vanilla, burnt brown sugar caramel and hints of maple syrup. The sweet flavors are savory and remind me of a hearty homemade BBQ sauce. While I don’t get the typical Booker’s peanuts, I do want to sit and enjoy this with a jar of peanut butter as its seasoned oak blends with hazy toasted wood and sweet BBQ smoke.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Booker’s 2021-04 is solid and well blended. It does give the tongue and mouth an aggressive tickle, but once the taste buds acclimate, the liquid becomes quite creamy. As I peer into the glass after each sip, the liquid curtain breaks into widely spaced, long drops which return the dregs to the mahogany colored pool leaving behind a thin ring.
BOOKER’S 2021-04 NOE STRANGERS BATCH FINISH:
Booker’s 2021-04 Noe Strangers Batch has an exceptionally long almost hot finish of the memory of dark berry jam and fresh raisin nectar. I also sense black pepper, rich vanilla and the essence of nearly burnt BBQ sauce. This finish is all Booker’s as seasoned oak marries with smoky sweet BBQ sauce. And when gone, the empty Glencairn smells like sweet oak sawdust infused with molasses.
Water can often tame big, bold whiskeys and allow aromas and flavors to bloom. The addition of 2-4 drops will not radically lower the proof of the pour. Re-evaluation of Booker’s 2021-04 occurred several days after the first assessment using measured pours and precise amounts of distilled water to detail its effect.
THE ADDITION OF TWO DROPS OF WATER
Adding two drops to 1.5 ounces of this bourbon reduces the proof to 124.04 (down from 124.4). It still smells juicy, deep and dark with notes of dark dried currants, apple butter and allspice. I also smell rich vanilla and light brown sugar frosting mixed with toasted wood sweet BBQ smoke but other aromas noted above are greatly muted. When sipped, I get warm high proof bourbon with a little roasted corn but like I mentioned above, 2021-04 remains a dark currant and fresh raisin jam with heat. Spices of cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper continue to be balanced with rich vanilla and brown sugar caramel. These flavors are savory and I taste a few peanuts in seasoned oak which blend quickly into hazy toasted wood and sweet smoke. While still good, two drops of water diminish both aromas and flavors and in my opinion, are not needed.
THE ADDITION OF FOUR DROPS OF WATER
Adding four drops to 1.5 ounces of bourbon lowers the proof to 123.68 (a 0.58% reduction from the bottling). Most surprising, I now get alcohol in each nosing. While dark dried currants and apple butter with allspice and pepper still come through, the aromas are less fruit sweet and the vanilla and light brown sugar take center stage. I still get the characteristic Booker’s warmth in each taste, as well as a bit of roasted corn, but the currants and raisins with cinnamon, ginger, are washed out. The vanilla and brown sugar caramel with some seasoned oak and hazy toasted wood remain savory, but the finish shortens. Four drops of distilled water are too much for Noe Strangers.
MY RATING: 94/100;
… with two drops 90/100;
… with four drops 89/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I will always purchase Booker’s batches when bottles are found at retail on store shelves.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 94/100 to access other whiskeys with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Booker’s.
WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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