Brian’s Booker’s 2022-02 Lumberyard Batch Review:
reviewed 26-September-2023
BOOKER’S 2022-02 LUMBERYARD BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:
Booker’s 2022-02 Lumberyard Batch (Lumberyard Batch) offers aromas of ethanol, herbs, roasted corn, and fruits. Combined with its white pepper and brown sugar notes along with the subtle wood influences, it is easy to experience this bold, sweet, and spicy pour. Each sip is full of dry warmth, and flavors of roasted corn, berries, spices, and richness. For me, the pour is a bit wood-centric, but sweets, fruit and spice do come through in its creamy mouthfeel. As each sip is downed, the closing sensation is long, dry, and warming, with lingering hints of herbs, caramel, and oak. This pour leaves a lasting impression and I’ll gladly enjoy a wee bit more.
BOOKER’S 2022-02 LUMBERYARD BATCH VITAL STATS:
Category: Small Batch Bourbon
Region: Clermont, Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam, Master Distiller Fred Noe
Small Batch: 2022-02 The Lumberyard Batch
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Casks: New Charred Oak
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Age: 7 Years 1 Month 7 Days
ABV: 62.4% (124.8 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 16906
Fair Price: $153.71 (BoozApp, August 2023)
Paid: $89.95 (Idaho, Sep 2022)
Availability: Allocated, limited, released tri-anually/quarterly
MASTER DISTILLER NOTES
The batch is made up of five production dates that were aged in seven different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “The Lumberyard Batch” is as follows:
2% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X
3% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5
3% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse D
17% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
19% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
28% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
28% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
This batch was pulled during the rainy weeks ahead of the Kentucky Derby. The beautiful amber color of this batch reminds me of the horses that will compete on the racetrack. The aroma is deep with hints of vanilla and oak that lead you back to enjoy it several times to explore its depth. It has a balanced taste with a bit of sweetness and a pleasant finish that will leave you longing for another sip. My dad would be really proud to have a batch dedicated to his hard-working years at The Lumberyard and the experience this liquid delivers with every glass.
LABEL INSPIRATION
The second release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2022 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch”. This batch is named in honor of my dad, Booker Noe’s pre-distillery years. While his journey to becoming a distiller wasn’t exactly a straight path, it led him to his true passion.
After a short stint at the University of Kentucky, Booker hitch-hiked across America in hopes of joining the Air Force. After being accepted to the Air Force, the local police called his mom to verify his information to be cleared. When Booker’s Mom found out where he was, she convinced him to come home and work at the local lumberyard with uncle Jeremiah Beam, also known as Uncle Jere. Booker was over 6 feet tall and very strong at an early age. He never backed away from physical labor of any kind, which made him a natural fit for the job. Booker gave 110% during his time at the lumberyard, which eventually landed him his first role working at the distillery and from then on, the rest was history.
Since that first day, Booker held just about every job at the distillery and worked his way up to Master Distiller. Booker’s esteemed distilling career wasn’t given to him, he earned it. His experience at the lumberyard shaped the solid work ethic and curiosity he is known for. I am excited to share The Lumberyard Batch with you and hope you will be able to gather with family and friends to enjoy it.
— Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller
Learn more at Booker’s Bourbon.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
On Day 26 of the 2023 30 Bourbons in 30 Days Challenge, the first one and a half ounces of a newly opened bottle mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating the pours, four once review amounts went into a Glencairn and a Weck. After posting on social media, my daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as I prepared this review. About 30 minutes had gone by before my first sip.
BOOKER’S 2022-02 LUMBERYARD BATCH NOSE:
Upon first opening the bottle, the aroma of Lumberyard Batch releases a subtle brown sugar scent. As I bring the pour to my nose, the warmth of ethanol becomes evident. With deep inhales, I detect herbal notes, roasted corn, dusty grain, as well as faint hints of tart apple, dark cherry, and plum. With continuing nosing, cinnamon and white pepper emerge. The experience is bold, sweet, and spicy. Additional sweetness is comes from refined malt, vanilla, simple syrup, soft caramel, honeycomb, and hints of pecans in toffee. Although the wood influence is not overpowering, I do perceive nuanced dry, seasoned oak, hazy toasted wood, and a subtle suggestion of leather in the aroma.
BOOKER’S 2022-02 LUMBERYARD BATCH PALATE:
The first sip of Lumberyard Batch is dry and warm with manageable alcohol burn. Continuing on, I discern the flavors of roasted corn and dusty grain, accompanied by the presence of berries, dark cherry, and dried dark raisins. As the taste unfolds, I taste a medley of spices, including cinnamon and pepper, mingled with rich vanilla, almost burnt brown sugar caramel, and dark molasses baked into a rustic graham crust. This delightful combination harmonizes seamlessly with the notes of roasted nuts, robust seasoned oak, smoky char, and a subtle touch of leather.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Lumberyard Batch exhibits a pronounced balance, leaning towards wood flavors. The pour offers slightly lessened sweetness while its floral, fruity, and spicy elements are fairly evenly matched. With the initial sip, I feel creaminess, followed by a subtle roughness on the back of the tongue and in the throat, ultimately transitioning to a viscous and oily texture as my mouth adjusts. In the glass, I see a quickly dissipating thin crown in which fast-falling legs drain the remaining liquid from each sip gracefully back to the mahogany-colored pool.
BOOKER’S 2022-02 LUMBERYARD BATCH FINISH
The finish of Booker’s 2022-02 Lumberyard Batch lingers for a considerable time, and is characterized by its dry and warming qualities. Although it may not exhibit as many distinctive traits as those found on the nose and palate, I do sense herbs, roasted corn, dusty grain, dark fruits, and subtle hints of cinnamon and pepper. The sweetness of burnt caramel and dark molasses persists, while the seasoned, heavy oak and hazy char gradually recede, leaving behind a faint impression of old leather. As the last drops vanish, the empty Glencairn glass carries the lingering aromas of dark sweets and aged oak sawdust.
MY RATING: 90/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
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WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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