Booker’s The Reserves Bourbon Review

Booker’s Bourbon
The Reserves
A Blend of 8-14 Year Old Barrels
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
125.9 Proof
MSRP: $129.99
Review

Please enjoy our Booker’s The Reserves Bourbon Whiskey Review!

Booker’s Bourbon is Named After Master Distiller Booker Noe

According to the company, Booker’s Bourbon is inspired by, and named after, 6th Generation Master Distiller, Booker Noe. Currently, Booker’s Bourbon has 4 small batch releases per year. However, Booker’s Bourbon The Reserves is a new, annual limited-release series developed by Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller. He launched the series to pay homage to his grandfather, Booker Noe, the founder of the “small batch” bourbon category. All Booker’s expressions are bottled uncut and unfiltered with the barrels coming from the center of the rackhouse, where the temperature and humidity stars are said to align to create the deepest and most intense flavors.

The Component Whiskeys in Booker’s Bourbon The Reserves

The 2024 release of Booker’s Bourbon The Reserves spans eight production dates and eight different warehouses. These barrels were aged as follows:

• 8 Years, 2 Months, 12 Days on the 4th floor of warehouse G
• 8 Years, 5 Months, 19 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse I
• 8 Years, 5 Months, 20 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse Z
• 9 Years, 2 Months, 3 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse Q
• 9 Years, 2 Months, 4 Days on the 6th floor of warehouse J
• 9 Years, 5 Months, 18 Days on the 7th floor of warehouse H
• 10 Years, 3 Months, 2 Days on the 4th floor of warehouse X
• 14 Years, 4 Months, 16 Days on the 6th floor of warehouse I

Tasting Notes – Booker’s The Reserves Bourbon

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Rich brown sugar, toffee, dark cherries, vanilla & mild oak; hints of sugar cookies and tart orange peels; alcohol vapor is less than expected for the fairly high proof
👉🏻Taste: Toffee, dark cherries, brown sugar, tart orange, dry oak & dry hot cinnamon
👉🏻Finish: Capsaicin and dry hot cinnamon spice, lingering tart orange, and a mild sweetness; increasing barrel char, spice and dryness later on; very long, with a ample warmth and lingering heat

The nose of Booker’s Bourbon The Reserves is full and rich, with similar notes that I would expect from a Booker’s Bourbon, but yet different. They are richer and more full. In addition, in spite of the high proof, the flavors are surprisingly more mellow, with less intense alcohol vapor than I would have expected. Nonetheless, the classic bourbon flavors are there, with rich brown sugar, toffee, dark cherries, vanilla and mild oak. There are hints of sugar cookies and tart orange peels, as well.

In the taste there are sweet toffee, brown sugar and fairly subtle dark cherries, as well as tart orange, dry oak and dry hot cinnamon. While those flavors and a bit of sweetness do linger, the finish has rapidly growing capsaicin and dry hot cinnamon spice, reaching quite a potent intensity, with tart orange peels and increasing dryness, barrel char and dry oak, later on. The finish is very long, with considerable warmth and continuing spice, dry oak and mild barrel char. I am left with a pleasant warmth deep down as well. In fact, it’s quite a while before the flavors subside enough for me to take another sip, and start the enjoyable process again.

The Flavors and Characteristics of Booker’s Bourbon Taken To The Next Level

Booker’s The Reserves has the underlying flavors and characteristics of Booker’s that fans know and love. Nevertheless, the flavors seem a bit more full and developed in The Reserves. Up front, they are richer, even with a bit of a confectionary character. However, later on, there is a complete about-face, with a surprising degree of spice, as well as drier flavors. Many of these characteristics could come from the increase in age of the barrels used in this release (8 years 2 months – 14 years 4 months), compared with the regular Booker’s releases. However, barrel selection must be playing a role, as well.

Conclusion

Bookers The Reserves is for the Booker’s fan who is looking for a bourbon with familiar flavors, but that is a bit richer up front, but yet has considerable spice and drier flavors later on. If that’s you, then you’ll want to give Bookers The Reserves a try! Have you had it? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Booker’s The Reserves Bourbon Whiskey Review! If you would like to read about more bourbons from the James B. Beam Distilling Company, check out our Jim Beam Black 7 Year Bourbon Review and our Baker’s 13 Bourbon Review! If you would like to learn more about the distillery, check out our James B. Beam Distilling Tour Review!

Note: This sample was graciously provided by the distillery for my review.

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