Booker's Batch 2024-01 ‘Springfield Batch’ Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
(Kentucky)

About this whiskey:

The first Booker’s batch of 2024 is called the Springfield Batch to honor my dad’s hometown of Springfield, Kentucky. This rural town in central Kentucky is where Booker Noe, my dad was born and raised. He worked on many farms when he was growing up, from the hay fields to tobacco patches. The batch is made up of 5 production dates stored in 4 different aging warehouses. The age is 7 years, 7 Months, 8 days and is 124.5 proof. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “Springfield Batch” is as follows:

17% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G

7% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse H

31% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z

45% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 3

-Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller

Tasting Notes:

The color of this Booker’s batch is a rich golden amber from over 7 years of aging in the new white oak barrels. The nose has a nice, pleasant aroma of sweet brown sugars and vanilla. The taste is balanced with a pleasant heat. The finish is long and warm which I appreciated during the cold days we experienced in January here in Kentucky.

-Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distilller

Awards/Reviews:

"The aroma is bold with cinnamon spice up front. Sweet brown sugar and vanilla layer in, contrasting the whiskey’s spice-forwardness. Slight amounts of aged oak and leather add further depth, though their presence is fleeting. The result is a classic, satisfying Booker’s aroma.

Robust baking spices, highlighted by cinnamon, reach a high level of intensity right out of the gate. An undercurrent of brown sugar and caramel tapers in, which is complemented by savory leather and aged oak. The flavors are uncannily consistent with the aroma, though the intensity of the spice is turned up a few notches on the sip. It’s big, bold, and everything you want Booker’s to be. Spice continues to intensify on the finish, with cinnamon again being the most prominent. It drastically eschews the sweeter flavors, gripping the taste buds with a warming intensity. Its staying power is what really defines it, making for an intensely long, satisfying ending to the sip.

Booker’s Springfield Batch is a prime example of what makes Booker’s bourbon great, with a quintessential Booker’s flavor profile that’s bold from start to finish, defined by cinnamon, brown sugar, and leather throughout, producing a sip that’s unequivocally barrel proof." - Breaking Bourbon

92 Points - Vinepair

"Salted peanuts followed closely by buttered popcorn, and together they give this bourbon a fatty richness on the nose. Tart apple and blackberry jam add some welcome tartness that, at least here, cuts the fat enough to stay balanced. Barbecue scents are up next via paprika and brown-sugar-laden tanginess. 

The first sip is notably fruit-forward, with elements that take time to really pick apart: tart cherry, black cherry, green apple, blackcurrant, raspberry, and syrup-drenched pear. The bourbon transitions gradually to more tannic flavors, more dark chocolate and coffee than leather and tobacco. Together with lingering fruit, it’s reminiscent of a fruit-filled dark chocolate bar. Mild baking spice accents the chocolate just enough to stay in the conversation. The combined effect continues to push 2024-01 further into fruit-and-chocolate territory than savory, smokey barbecue. There’s enough oak here to match up to the seven-plus year age statement. Simultaneously, brown sugar wrestles the sweet elements back from bright and tart fruit.

This batch emphasizes some pleasant, fruit-forward sweetness that could make it more accessible to folks who don’t always seek out the extraordinarily bold flavors Booker’s is known for."