Booker Noe's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon 25th Anniversary

This bottling marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of Booker's. I don't know how many bottles were released, but not many. From Batch No. 2014-01, this bottling is much older than the usual Booker's - 10 years and 3 months - and is at a higher 130.8 proof.

The colour is a deep reddish amber - a shade darker than the regular Booker's. On the nose, very herbaceous (mint, coriander) with lime, oak, black liquorice, tropical fruits (mango, papaya), all wrapped with deep rich caramel and vanilla. Chocolate and coffee grounds. While the nose is a little more closed than the usual Booker's, it is no less complex (though it does open up with a little water).

On the palate - wow. Sharp and biting, this features old leather, burnt caramel, bitter oak, overripe cherries and a basket of assorted berries. Chili powder and nutmeg. Cigar tobacco. Mouth-coating. Spectacular. Water adds more herbs and Chinese Five-Spice. Like the nose, there is more subtlety here than the usual Booker's, but it's still powerful.

The finish is long and dusty with late-arriving spice and blackberries. This gets slightly higher marks than the usual Booker's due to a flawless palate whose richness and delicacy could be the absolute greatest of any bourbon I've ever tasted. I use the word "delicacy" rather loosely - this bruiser is anything but delicate, really - but I mean it in the sense of complexity and a fragile interplay of flavours. This incredible (and incredibly rare) bourbon will be very hard to find now, but if you do - grab it.