Brian’s Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch Review:
reviewed 27-September-2023
BOOKERS 2022-03 KENTUCKY TEA BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:
The presence of alcohol and ethanol are apparent in the first wafts and sips of Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch (Kentucky Tea). Red berries, dark cherry, plum, and raisins along with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg also greet the nose and palate as do caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and wood notes. Best of all, I taste the Booker’s funk of peanuts and peanut toffee mixed in oak, toasted wood, and char. This is a delicious pour and I will gladly have another.
BOOKERS 2022-03 KENTUCKY TEA BATCH VITAL STATS:
Category: Small Batch Bourbon
Region: Clermont, Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam, Master Distiller Fred Noe
Small Batch: 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch
Mash bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Casks: New Charred Oak
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Age: 7 years, 4 month, 14 days
ABV: 63.25% (126.5 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 16906
Fair Price: $115.42 (BoozApp, August 2023)
Paid: $89.95 (Idaho, Sep 2022)
Availability: Allocated, limited, released 3rd quarter 2022
MASTER DISTILLER NOTES
The batch is made up of six production dates that were aged in six different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “Kentucky Tea Batch” is as follows:
2% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5
1% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X
1% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse D
12% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
24% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
14% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
46% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
This batch was pulled on a hot and humid day in July. The color of this liquid is golden amber, and you embrace the dark, sweet vanilla aroma right away. With just one taste, your mouth is filled with rich and sweet flavors of vanilla. The lingering finish isn’t overpowering, so soon after you’ll want another sip. I made myself a Kentucky Tea with Kentucky Tea Batch, and it brought back memories of my dad sitting at his own kitchen table enjoying his Kentucky Tea with supper.
LABEL INSPIRATION
The third release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2022 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2022-03 “Kentucky Tea Batch.” While some may flavor their water with tea leaves, my dad, Booker Noe, loved to flavor his water with bourbon – something he called Kentucky Tea.
As you can imagine, Dad loved the flavor of bourbon, especially his Booker’s Bourbon. Since Booker’s is over 100 proof, the flavor still pulls through when added to water. So, he’d take one part bourbon and four parts water and enjoy his drink. One night, when a reporter was at Dad’s house for supper, he asked why Dad drank Kentucky Tea. Dad quickly replied, “Why would I flavor my water with tea leaves when I can flavor my water with bourbon?” It was that simple – Kentucky Tea was Dad’s drink. He would drink it with a country ham or fish dinner and would say you need to sip the right proportion of Kentucky Tea to really appreciate the food.
As you sip this batch, add a taste of it to your water so you can try Dad’s Kentucky Tea with “Kentucky Tea Batch.” I know that’s how he would’ve liked it. Cheers!
— Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller
Learn more at Booker’s Bourbon.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
On Day 27 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.
BOOKERS 2022-03 KENTUCKY TEA BATCH NOSE:
The first inhale of Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch, greets warmly, accompanied by subtle alcohol and a manageable kick of ethanol. Within the blend, a medley blossoms, roasted corn, and the sweet aroma of a roadside fruit stand springs from the glass. I get ed berries, apples dipped in caramel, sweet cherries, a subtle hint of plum, and a mix of gourmet red and yellow raisins, mingling with notes of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. With continued breathng, I am pleasantly surprised by the presence of brown sugared breakfast pastry, frosted with rich buttercream infused with vanilla. Nosing on, more sweet undertones emerge; the essence of red licorice, buttery brown sugar caramel, and a delicate touch of light maple syrup. Finally, a suggestion of peanuts, against the backdrop of freshly cut sweet oak and the hazy aroma of toasted wood, complement earthy nuances reminiscent of books and leather.
BOOKERS 2022-03 KENTUCKY TEA BATCH PALATE:
Kentucky Tea Batch greets with warm alcohol, and the flavor of fresh roasted corn. In the next sips I get a fruit jam of red berries, dark cherry, apricots, plums, and raisins blended with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, and rye. Now the breakfast pastry aroma I sensed on nose comes alive, as rich vanilla enhances buttery brown sugar caramel and peanut toffee. Going deeper into the glass, sweet, strong oak, counters barrel tannins, toasted wood, and heavy notes of char and newly tanned leather.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Kentucky Tea offers a nice balance of sweetness and wood along with a strong showing from its fruit and spice components. In the mouth it tastes rich, and while silken and creamy, it is a bit challenging to hold, owing to its grittiness on the tongue. Above the bowl, a thin fragile crown breaks into fast falling droplets to form long legs. These drain each after-sip quickly back to the mahogany-colored pool.
BOOKERS 2022-03 KENTUCKY TEA BATCH FINISH
Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch finishes long with lingering warmth. When each sip is swallowed, the memory of roasted corn, dark cherry, plum, and raisin blend with cinnamon, ginger, pepper and rich vanilla. With contemplation, new sensations, in the form of buttery brown sugar caramel and light molasses with crushed dark roasted peanut slide in, much like one might get from a Bit ‘o Honey candy. As the suggestions fade, heavy strong oak anchors barrel tannins, toasted wood, and char.
MY RATING: 93/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
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WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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