Booker's - Ronnie's Batch - 2022-01
$89
Booker’s – Ronnie’s Batch – 2022-01
Proof: 124.3
Age: 6 Years – 11 Months – 22 Days
Distillery: James B Beam Distilling Company
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mash: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Website: Booker’s Bourbon
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Decent amount of ethanol heat on the nose, as expected. Behind the Ethanol you get Moderate Cinnamon, Vanilla Custard, Dark Fruits – Raspberry and Plum, Toffee, and Mild Oak.
Taste/Palate: The palate was a bit of a surprise. Based on the nose I expected this to be a heater. It was not. Considering the proof, it was Mild and Sweet. Butter Toffee, Subtle Sweet Cherry, and Vanilla. Moderate Cinnamon and Charred Oak on the mid palate.
Finish: Bolder notes step forward on the finish as this winds down. Seasoned Leather, Charred Oak carries through as does the Cinnamon and Toffee. As the finish subsides you get a overall pleasant combination of Sweet, Mature, Fruit, and some Spice.
Verdict: I might be alone on a island here, but I very much enjoyed this batch. My friend is a Booker’s nut so I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing many batches including some Little Books. This one is in my top 3 favorite Bookers. MOST Booker’s Batches that I’ve experienced are – Punch you in the face, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, bourbon heaters. They come out swinging and let you know it. Ronnie’s batch takes you on a bit more of a journey. The heat steps aside and the flavors unpack a bit more than usual. If you are a die-hard Booker’s fan this might not be your favorite batch. As an impartial taster, loyal to no line, I really liked this one.
The Story: Every time I see a Booker’s I usually pick it up for my buddy who’s a Booker’s connoisseur. I have one stipulation to me grabbing it for him. I get to try it. One night we got stupid and did a long Booker’s flight. Needless to say I was hurting the next morning. I digress, I picked up Ronnie’s Batch and having tried it, I was sure to text him that this one is one of my favorite batches. Yes, Above the Tagalong Batch that was highly acclaimed. I’m curious what he thinks of this one. I’ll update with his thoughts.
The Distillery’s Story: Straight from Booker’s Site –
“The batch is made up of four production dates that were aged in five different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “Ronnie’s Batch” is as follows:
4% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5
7% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse D
15% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
26% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
48% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
This batch has a nice color and a rich vanilla aroma with hints of brown spice that you can enjoy even before your first sip. The whiskey has a sweet taste that comes from the time spent aging in our unique Kentucky climate. It was a brisk, cold day when I selected this batch, but the warm and pleasant finish make it an ideal pour as we leave behind these cooler months. I know my father would be so proud to name this batch after Ronnie, as he was sure to make Booker’s just like Dad wanted.
Label Inspiration:
The first release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2022 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2022-01 ‘Ronnie’s Batch.’ This batch is named in honor of Ronnie Land, a longtime employee at the Jim Beam Clermont and Boston, K.Y. plants, when my dad, Booker Noe, was master distiller. During his 40 year career at Jim Beam, he worked his way up to the Warehouse Manager position. Ronnie was always known to shoot straight with Dad, and Dad put a lot of trust in him because of that.
Ronnie was responsible for keeping inventory of aging barrels, a key part of the bourbon-making process. Back then, we had to track barrel quantities and locations by hand – no computers for that! – and Ronnie knew it all by heart. He also knew exactly where Dad preferred to store his namesake Booker’s barrels and, in time, he was trusted to prepare the samples for Dad to evaluate for the next batch. Once, Ronnie sent me home with a box of small Booker’s samples for Dad to taste. When Dad saw the samples, he said they weren’t big enough to get a proper sense of the whiskey, so what did Ronnie do? He went back into the warehouses and prepared samples that were notably bigger! Dad was more than pleased and that became the standard sample size Ronnie gave us from then on – and still the size that Freddie and I use today!
Dad always had final sign off when it came to his Booker’s Bourbon, but he knew he was working with barrels that met his standards when they were under Ronnie’s watchful eye.
Dad valued Ronnie’s dedication, work ethic and honesty and, because of this, he would be proud to honor Ronnie with a batch of his own. I hope you enjoy a glass alongside close family and friends.
— Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Average. Not bad, but not special.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Reviewer: David S
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