What you need to know:

• Booker's Bourbon, part of the Jim Beam family and one of the few Bourbons bottled straight from the barrel uncut, is out with their second release of 2022, titled "The Lumberyard Batch".

• Each release is usually named after a key member or feature of the distillery's history - this time named in honour of Booker Noe's work during his pre-distillery years in a lumberyard, before he begin producing Booker’s Bourbon.

• "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.”

• For this specific batch, 2022-02, a total of five production dates aged in seven different warehouses were used.

• The Lumberyard Batch, aged for 7 years, 1 month and 7 days, bottled at 124.8 proof (or 62.4% ABV), will be made available in July with an RRP of $89.99 USD.

(Image Source: Booker's Bourbon) 

Booker's Bourbon, part of the Jim Beam family and one of the few Bourbons bottled straight from the barrel uncut, is out with their second release of 2022, titled "The Lumberyard Batch".

Typically releasing four releases each year, aside from years where the distillery deems the whisky unready for bottling, Booker's was started by Booker Noe, Jim Beam's grandson, initially as a gift for family and friends for the festive Christmas season, it is now on the cusp of moving into its new distillery facility,  the Fred B. Noe Distillery.

Each release is usually named after a key member or feature of the distillery's history - this time named in honour of Booker Noe's work during his pre-distillery years in a lumberyard.

Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller, and his father Fred Noe, 7th Generation Master Distiller. (Image Source: American Whiskey Mag)

"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

(Image Source: Booker's Bourbon)

For this specific batch, 2022-02, a total of five production dates aged in seven different warehouses were used. The breakdown 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."

(Image Source: Booker's Bourbon)

Official Tasting Notes

Color

Our darkest and deepest amber and henna color.

Aroma

Robust vanilla and caramel notes; slight smoky.

Taste

Deep and complex flavors of vanilla, nuts and oak.

Finish

Long and full; perfect for easygoing sipping.

The Lumberyard Batch, aged for 7 years, 1 month and 7 days, bottled at 124.8 proof (or 62.4% ABV), will be made available in July with an RRP of $89.99 USD.

Our Take

We've thoroughly enjoyed past Booker's Bourbon releases (one of our favorite Bourbons, in fact) - great body, heat and complexity with rich vanilla, caramel and peanuts; it is sweet, smooth and packs great heat. So we're more optimistic than not for this next release.

That said, it has gotten increasingly pricey and harder to get hands on in recent times and has even amassed some group of hardcore collectors. Which is all for good reason in our opinion.

Although hopefully with the new distillery and expanded production capacity, things will ease up and our gut tells us that the quality would stay pretty much the same so long as Fred Noe is at the helm. Certainly more to look forward to!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot