Brian’s Booker’s 2021-03 Bardstown Batch Review:
reviewed on 03-November-2021
BOOKER’S 2021-03 BARDSTOWN BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:
Booker’s 2021-03 Bardstown Batch is the best release of 2021 and in my opinion, the best of all Booker’s batches I have enjoyed. My first was 2018-01 Kathleen’s Batch and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy each release since.
Bardstown Batch is dark, with few fruit notes but equally balanced spice, sweet and woody aromas and flavors. As I was enjoying the final sips, I poured a small amount of 2021-02 Tagalong (a GREAT bourbon) to compare. Bardstown fits my profile even better. If I see another on store shelves, the bottle will have a new home in my bunker.
BOOKER’S 2021-03 BARDSTOWN BATCH VITAL STATS:
Category: Small Batch Bourbon
Region: Clermont, Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam, Master Distiller Fred Noe
Small Batch: 2021-03 Bardstown Batch
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Casks: New Charred Oak
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Age: 6 yrs., 5 months and 0 days
ABV: 62.75% (125.5 Proof)
NABCA CSC#: 16906
Price: $89.95 (Idaho, 2021)
Availability: Allocated, limited, released quarterly/tri-annually
MASTER DISTILLER NOTES:
Barrels from four production dates, aged in five different warehouses make up Batch 2021-03. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s Bardstown Batch is as follows:
▪︎27% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse H
▪︎24% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse D
▪︎19% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse I
▪︎11% came from the 8th floor of 9-story warehouse J
▪︎11% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
▪︎8% came from the 2nd floor of 9-story warehouse H
LABEL INSPIRATION
“The third release of the Booker’s Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-03 ‘Bardstown Batch’. This batch honors the homeplace of not only my dad, Booker Noe, but several generations of Beam family members, including myself and my sin Freddie.
“Dad was born in Springfield, Kentucky, but spent a good amount of time in Bardstown visiting friends along with his grandfather, Jim Beam. After going to college, he moved to Bardstown full-time to join the family business.
“Dad lived in Bardstown for more than 50 years and was well known in the community for his infectious personality. He was the ultimate host, always inviting people over to the house for drinks and dinner parties. These events became well known across town, especially when Booker was serving his country ham that he would smoke right in the backyard – a practice he learned from his grandfather and one that 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe continues to this day.
“Today, I live in the same house in Bardstown that my great-grandfather Jim Beam lived in, and Freddie is right next door with his own family. Though Bardstown may be called the Bourbon Capital of the World, to us this special place is simply home. Bardstown Batch represents all of the happy times we’ve shared here, and I hope you are able to enjoy this batch along side close family and friends.”
— 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 2021-03 BARDSTOWN BATCH NOSE:
Booker’s 2021-03 smells dry and has just a touch of alcohol to tease the nose. I sense herbal roasted corn, drying grain and a faint hint of rich pipe tobacco mixed with dried currants dusted with spices of faint crushed clove, white pepper and rye. The sweets are scant as well coming through as dark brown sugar caramel, molasses and rich toffee. The woody aroma is in balance both the spice and sweet as strong, heavy old oak and hazy barrel char rise from the glass. The earthy aromas seem to build on a musty theme of leather buried in potting soil. This bourbon smells good.
BOOKER’S 2021-03 BARDSTOWN BATCH PALATE:
After the 15-20 minute nosing, I took the first sip. Each taste of Booker’s 2021-03 warms the palate and throat. Herbal roasted corn provides a backdrop for dark dried fruits of Montmorency cherries flavored with spices of savory ginger, pepper and rye. This bourbon is more spicy than it is hot. The sweets are in balance as well. Buttery dark brown sugar caramel, play off of dark molasses and bittersweet chocolate covered toffee. And like on the nose, heavy old oak blends with hazy char along with a touch of earthy leather. Not one flavor overpowers but each compliments the other.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Booker’s 2021-03 is well balanced as individual aromas and flavors do not dominant and the first sip is much easier to hold than one might expect from a high proof bourbon. The liquid is viscous and its oily character helps blend the subtle flavors. At the end of each sip, a thick veil breaks into many thin fast falling legs, transporting the wash back to the terracotta pot colored pool. And as the remaining crown fades, a few drops remain in the glass.
BOOKER’S 2021-03 BARDSTOWN BATCH FINISH:
The roasted corn sensed on the nose and palate gives its faint good-bye as does the sensation of the juice of dried Montmorency cherries with a touch of cinnamon and pepper. There is the slight sweetness of dark toffee but what I feel most is strong musty and rich old oak. Booker’s 2021-03 Bardstown Batch teases with heat but in the end, has a warm medium-long finish as the aroma of an oak laden lumberyard wafts from the empty Glencairn.
THE ADDITION OF WATER
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 2021-03 occurred using measured pours and precise amounts of distilled water to measure the effect.
Adding two drops to 1.5 ounces of this bourbon reduces the proof to 125.13 (down from 125.5). The water seems to enhance the aromas of roasted corn, dried fruit, rye, dark brown sugar, caramel, molasses and rich toffee. With the water, the woodiness comes through and the flavors of cherries and ginger blend with the buttery dark brown caramel. The water softens and smoothens each sip … Can it be true!?! For me, two drops of water make Bardstown Batch better!
Adding four drops to 1.5 ounces of bourbon lowers the proof to 124.77 (a 0.58% reduction from the bottling). The aromas sensed with the two drop pour seem to have blended together. Not one aroma truly stands out. At the same time I get more of an alcohol nip. Upon taking the first sip, I feel let down, yet I do like how it warms my throat. While still a good bourbon, too much water takes away from Booker’s 2021-03’s complexity.
MY RATING: 94/100;
… with two drops 95/100;
… with four drops 92/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
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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