Booker’s Bourbon 2023-03 “Mighty Fine Batch"

I’d like to thank the folks at Beam Suntory and their PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

I’ve had pretty severe allergies for as long as I can remember. It gets so bad in the summer that I just have to leave the air conditioning on, no matter the temperature because I can’t breathe the air outside without sneezing and coughing. I also run an air purifier in the house to take care of anything that makes it through the heating system’s filter as air circulates.

I had a course of allergy injections when I was a teenager. And as far as I remember, they worked great. When I went to see the allergist, she informed me that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to start another course because they apparently only last about a decade. It’s been over three full decades since I finished, so that might explain why they are no longer working for me.

All that is to say that I recently started a round of allergy injections. And boy, let me tell you, they really do a number on me. I had my most recent injection about an hour ago. In about another hour, I’ll probably be asleep for a nap. It turns out that pumping your body full of a small dose of things you are allergic to makes your body work just a little harder for the next little while.

Who knew?

Luckily, I did the tasting for this post last night (paying work has been super busy so I’ve just been running out of time as evidenced by the lack of a Tuesday post.) So, let’s get into tonight’s review before I fall asleep on my keyboard. I really don’t want to subject you to a post filled with:

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So Booker’s Bourbon is released in multiple batches per year. According to their website, they are now at batch 4 for the year. Late last month, I was asked if I wanted to take a look at batch 3, and I readily agreed. I’ve always been a fan of Booker’s even if I don’t really care for the doubling in price over the last half decade or so. And luckily for my quickly approaching lack of consciousness, the Booker’s website has an amazing amount of information on each batch. So, I’m just going to quote from there.

This batch is made up of barrels from seven production dates that were aged in six different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker's "Mighty Fine Batch" is as follows: 2% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q, 3% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z, 8% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G, 10% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse I, 10% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse H, 12% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G, 55% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 3.

Honestly, we are living through an amazingly transparent time for the Bourbon industry. When this site started, finding anything other than a silly marketing story was damn near impossible. These days, we can find out what percentage of each batch was stored on which floor of which warehouse. That’s really cool. But anyway, let’s see how it tastes.

Booker's Bourbon 2023-03 "Mighty Fine Batch"

Purchase Information: This sample was provided by the manufacturer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: 63.3% ABV. 7 years, 1 month, 10 days

Nose: Oak, vanilla, honey, mint, and cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon candies, oak, honey, and vanilla.

Finish: A long warmth that fades slowly into sweetness. Notes of oak, floral honey, ginger, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: As usual with Booker's, the first thing on the nose is oak. The mouth is as hot as 126° proof would lead you to expect. Luckily, it takes a splash of water well, bringing out even more pronounced honey sweetness. This is delicious. Big fan, as always

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Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon

I’d like to thank the folks at Maker’s Mark for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

It is officially September. The time of year where I take half of a month off and go on vacation just as the bourbon news is heating up for the year. (Can you tell that this isn’t a profit driven enterprise?) September is a wonderful month for my wife and I. Both of our birthdays and our wedding anniversary happen within a week of one another. And as I mentioned previously, we also go on vacation to celebrate another trip around the sun with one another.

So what’s the plan for BourbonGuy.com? Well, not much will change. I’m writing ahead, so the posts may be a little shorter and may be down to once per week while I’m gone. I’m covering everything that the whiskey fairy delivered prior to vacation so that the news is still fresh and timely. But I’m also deep into vacation mode so…yeah.

Let’s get started on the first one. This is a bourbon that I’ve been looking forward to ever since I saw the press release come across my desk a few weeks ago. I’m a big Maker’s Mark fan. I’ve been an Ambassador for years. In fact, I often say that Maker’s is really the only Wheated Bourbon that I consistently like. Others are either mood-dependent or just don’t hit right.

I’m a huge fan of Maker’s at 101 proof. The Cask Strength is also on my shelf fairly regularly. I’ve found the Private Select bourbons and their Special Releases to be hit or miss, but I always enjoy the Maker’s 46 and the rest of the core lineup. I say all that to let you know where I am coming from with this. I never realized that there was a hole in the Maker’s Mark experience prior to learning about tonight’s Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged. But once I heard of an extra-aged version of Maker’s, well that hole was glaring. I needed to try it.

But before we talk about what I thought of the Bourbon, Let’s give Maker’s a change to speak for themselves.

To become Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, barrels of the distillery’s classic distillate first spend approximately six years aging in traditional bourbon warehouses, where they endure the Kentucky climate and its temperature swings season after season until they reach full maturity and can be called “Maker’s Mark.” Barrels are then moved into the distillery’s proprietary whisky cellar for an additional five to six years of aging before being blended to taste and bottled. Built into the natural limestone shelf of the Kentucky hills, the cellar’s consistently cool environment slows down the tannic impact that occurs during maturation, while allowing the bourbon to develop a deeper, darker flavor with hidden depths, but no bitterness. Cellar Aged will be an annual, limited release available in specific markets around the world. The unique maturation approach of Cellar Aged will be consistent every year, but the specific blend of aged bourbon will vary based on which barrels are ready, by taste. The inaugural release of Cellar Aged is a marriage of 12-year-old and 11-year-old whisky – 87% and 13%, respectively – bottled at cask strength (115.7 proof). Cellar Aged will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $150.00 in the United States in September 2023; in London, Munich and select Global Travel Retail accounts in October 2023; and in Tokyo and Singapore in early 2024. 

Ok now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s dig in.

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged

Purchase Info: This review sample was provided at no cost but the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $150 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $10

Details: 57.87% ABV. 11-12 years old.

Nose: Cocoa powder, leather, caramel, vanilla, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, stone fruit, caramel, cocoa, leather, vanilla, and oak

Finish: Long and warm with notes of cinnamon, oak, and a chocolate caramel that transitions to vanilla.

Thoughts: This is really good. I personally think that it is a bit too hot to drink neat, but it takes a splash of water well. Water tames the heat, but retains most of the flavor notes while also bringing out a touch of mint. I've been a Maker's Mark Ambassador since 2011 and have had a lot of Maker's over the years. This is probably in the top two or three Maker's products that I've tasted. If I see this, I will probably “have to” pick up a bottle. But due to the cost, I will have to do some mental gymnastics to justify it to myself too.

Did you enjoy this post? If you want to support the work going on here at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch (tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com.

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish sitting in front of a tree with fall leaves.

A while back, my favorite artist came out with a new album. I stream everything on Spotify these days, but when I want to support an artist, I have no problem buying an album digitally as well. If I need to, I will buy the CD instead. But I realized as I was looking at the order page that I no longer have a device that will play CDs. Not even my vehicle has a CD player. And the last computer with an optical drive died last year. So I decided that I’d buy the album on vinyl. If I wasn’t going to be able to play it anyway, I might as well go with the big art. This way, I could use it as wall art, if nothing else.

But a funny thing happened after I bought that vinyl album. I got to thinking about the nature of the music I listened to as a kid. About albums that were meant to be listened to from start to finish instead of as individual tracks. And I came to the realization that even though I love streaming, there is something to be said about old formats too. Yes, I love just throwing on a playlist and letting it go all day. Basically as background music for my life. But when I was a kid, vinyl was king. Unless you were much more coordinated than I was, you couldn’t just choose the track you wanted to listen to (unless you had a single). And as is turns out, there are some ablums that were better listened to in order with one track flowing into another. Basically a larger work of art that is made up of smaller works of art.

So why didn’t I already have a ton of vinyl? Well, I was alive and aware as CDs hit the stage and became the dominant music format. I remember kids in school teasing me about still playing records when they all had CD players. Kids can be cruel and the those in the tiny town I grew up in were hyper-obsessed with how rich someone was. The more money you had the more popular you were. And I grew up in poverty so I didn’t have a lot of friends back then. The moment I could afford a CD player as a teenager, I got one. If only so that I could tamp down the emotional baggage of being teased as child. I don’t know that I listened to a record by choice after that until well into my second stint at college. By then I was collecting classic rock albums like crazy. But then digital music came around and, once again, I gave up vinyl as a waste of space and sold or gave them away.

Somehow I never seem to learn.

Anyway, long story short, I may have found a new obsession. Since I bought that “piece of art for the wall” I’ve bought five or six more albums, I researched and ordered a turntable. I’ve made a wishlist of other albums I want to buy in this crazy old format. And I plan to visit a few record stores in the area the next time I have a day free. I like the idea of intently listening to music again. Needing to pay attention to when a record ends and needing to get up to flip it over appeals to me right now.

Now, you may ask what any of that has to do with bourbon. And that’s a good question. But I have a good answer too. You can enjoy music a couple of different ways. You can have it on in the background and almost ignore it. It’s just something to keep it from being too quiet. Or you can sit there and intently listen to a piece of someone’s musical art. Follow how one song flows into another and makes a whole greater than its pieces. Same thing with bourbon. You could take a shot and just use it as a means to an end. Or you could do what we do here and intently taste the bourbon. Teasing out the nuances of someone’s liquid art.

Plus in both of them you can easily get obsessed and spend way more than you had intended to if you aren’t careful. Ask me how I know.

Luckily for me, tonight’s whiskey was a review sample that didn’t cost me anything. It is the latest offering from the Basil Hayden folks over at Jim Beam. This one was partially finished in red wine casks. And although I’ve sworn off Basil Hayden numerous times in the past as not being flavorful enough for me, I found the idea of this one intriguing. Here’s what the producer has to say about it:

A blend of the classic Basil Hayden high-rye mash bill and bourbon partially aged in Californian red wine casks, this special release is ripe with cherries & dried fruit, while also delivering characteristic bourbon flavors of vanilla and charred oak. Perfectly balanced, Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish is layered & complex, yet approachable & inviting.

But, how does it taste?

Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

Purchase Info: The bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 ml): $4.00

Details: 40% ABV. Some of the bourbon used in the blend has been finished in California red wine casks.

Nose: Dried cherries, brown sugar, and oak.

Month: Cherry, vanilla, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cherry and cinnamon linger.

Thoughts: I've been hard on Basil Hayden products in the past, but I think they have a winner with this one. Lots of flavor in the mouth. The wine cask finish brings a lot of cherry to the party. I like this one. And that cherry note has me thinking that with such pronounced cherry, this might work well in a cocktail. And, of course, how could I pass up that opportunity? After giving it a thought, I landed on a sweet riff on a Manhattan. The result is below. I think it turned out pretty ok.

A Thursday Night Cocktail

  • 2oz Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish

  • 1/2oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

  • 1/2 oz Luxardo Cherry liqueur

  • 2 dashes of Aromatic bitters (I use my own recipe, but Angostura would work too)

  • Orange Peel for Garnish

Directions: Combine all ingredients (except orange peel) into a mixing glass with ice. Stir. Strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Express the orange peel over the drink. Garnish with the orange peel and a couple of cherries.

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Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.

Little Book Chapter 6, "To the Finish"

I’d like to thank the folks from Beam Suntory and their PR teams for sharing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Sample bottle of Little Book Chapter 6, To the Finish.

Beam Suntory’s Little Book is the creation of the newly appointed Eighth Generation Jim Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe. It is a celebration of what “blended whiskey” can be. These aren’t the blended whiskeys of the mid-to-late 20th century. These are delicious, high proof whiskeys that allow for creativity of ingredient. And I have liked every iteration of Little Book so far. So when I was offered a sample for review, I jumped at it.

This “chapter” is a pretty complicated blend. It includes a five-year-old straight bourbon along with four four-year-old straight malt whiskeys that have each been finished in a different type of finshing barrel. Those include barrels with cherrywood staves and maple wood staves along with barrels that have been smoked with applewood smoke and hickory smoke. Here is what the press release has to say:

Little Book Chapter 6: “To The Finish,” is the latest chapter in Eighth Generation Master Distiller, Freddie Noe’s acclaimed Little Book Whiskey series. The name of this year’s chapter is inspired by Freddie’s passion for both whiskey-making and cooking, and more specifically his curiosity for how flavors come together.

The kitchen has always been a place where the Noe family has come together to share traditions from generation to generation. These traditions around family meals, and Freddie’s adventures around the grill, inspired his work in the rackhouse for Chapter 6. Freddie uses the traditional method of smoking hardwoods to create different aromas and flavors in food, and he’s applied that same method to the whiskey-making process, using unique wood staves and barrel techniques for Chapter 6.

So, how does it taste?

Little Book Chapter 6 "To the Finish"

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me by the producer for review purposes. The Suggested Retail Price is $124.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.33

Details: 58.725% ABV. Blend Components: 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with cherrywood staves, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with applewood smoked barrels, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished in hickory smoked barrels, 4-year-old Straight Malt Whiskey finished with maple wood staves, and 5-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

Nose: Cinnamon, wintergreen, malted grain, and hints of cherry.

Mouth: Very hot and dry. Notes follow the nose with cherry, wintergreen, malt, and cinnamon.

Finish: Long and warm with notes of malt, cinnamon, wintergreen, and a touch of barbeque smoke.

IMAGE: I didn't care for this but it isn't bad whiskey so it gets a neutral face.

Thoughts: I'm sad to say that this is the first "Chapter" of Little Book that didn't work for me. But that is entirely on me, not the Whiskey. I'm not a fan of either malt or smoke, and this has notes of both. So that's on me, not Freddie Noe. If you like/don't mind the flavor of malt whiskey, then this is worth a look.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.