Booker’s “Beam House Batch” Bourbon Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: James B. Beam Distilling Co.
• MASH BILL: 77% Corn | 13% Rye | 10% Malted Barley
• AGE: 7 years, 2 months, 22 days
• YEAR: 2024
• PROOF: 124.6 (62.3% ABV)
• MSRP: $99 per 750ml
• BUY ONLINE: Beam does not have an online store for Booker’s, but it is available nationwide.

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Lovers of bold, fruity and potent bourbons.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yes. Though I miss the days of $50 Booker’s prices, they are long gone, and the whiskey remains great as always.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. You’ll want to avoid the bar premium and be able to share with friends.

OVERALL: Per usual, this Booker’s aroma is like the others: powerfully spicy and meant to warn that keeping the glass a few inches from one’s nose is wise. It means business! It’s generous with ethanol and cherry candy, fire-cured tobacco and warm molasses. Give it a good rest to let it loosen up a bit and smell campfire, cooked corn and chocolate covered cherries blow in before all transition evenly to the palate. For all its aromatic horsepower, the whiskey runs leaner and not as hot as expected. Quickly enough, though, dark fruits, a little Kirschwasser, cocoa, espresso and raw honey collude to remind you that you’re drinking Booker’s, and one pass at this bourbon won’t be enough to discover all its virtues. I want to return to this repeatedly, but, hey, I gotta write the review someday, and today is that day.

The finish is expectedly long and plenty dry the down the throat. The palate, however, is left tingling, freshened and full of dried cherry, dates and allspice. Now I’m craving barbecue.

BRAND NOTES

The second release of the Booker’s 2024 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2024 02 The Beam House Batch.

The words which follow are Fred Noe’s, 7th generation Jim Beam master distiller, son of Booker Noe:

This batch is named after my home, a real special place full of beginnings, traditions, and memories not just for me, but for everyone at Beam.

I grew up just around the corner and lived next door for years before moving in after Dad passed away. The Beam House,” as the name suggests, has been part of my family for generations my great grandad, Jim Beam lived here, my dad, Booker Noe, lived here, and now I do. It’s just kind of the way it goes in our family.

We’ve always spent a lot of time here together, whether it’s for Sunday dinners, drinking bourbon on the porch, or doing tastings for batches of Booker’s. Back when I lived next door, I used to walk across the yard with samples from the plant so Dad and whoever else was lucky enough to be there could gather round the kitchen table and taste them over some barbecue. Booker loved to entertain and always wanted to bring people through the house. Lord knows how many people have been here over the years; friends, neighbors, business partners, employees. Everyone’s welcome. Dad loved when people would stop by and come on out back for a drink, and now it’s a tradition I’m proud to carry on.

In this batch, I’ve tried to capture some of the joyful memories I’ve made in the Beam House for you to enjoy at yours.

MASTER DISTILLER’S NOTES

The Beam House Batch is made up of five production dates stored in four different warehouse locations. The age of the batch will be 7 years, 2 months, and 22 days when the barrels are dumped. The proof of the batch will be 124.6 proof. The breakdown of barrel storage for the Booker’s “Beam House Batch” is as follows:

• 14 percent came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
• 28 percent came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 3
• 14 percent came from the 4th floor of 7-store warehouse 3
• 19 percent came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
• 25 percent came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse H

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.