Booker's Batch C04-1-19

I've avoided this moment for three years. As a less than moderate (more like mild) drinker, I've had trouble keeping up with all the malts I want to try, let alone, branch out into bourbons or rye. But with gentle persuasion and reading and listening to a few reviews, I decided to try one on a recent trip to the US. It wasn't spectacular (rye forward Basil Hayden's) and the setting wasn't perfect, but the experience was good.

So back in Canada I decided to try to get my hands on a good cask strength bourbon, and this is one that received a lot of recommendations. So let's see how Italy worked out:

This batch is aged 7 years 11 months. I know another review was under seven years. At 127.3 proof (63.65%) it may be the strongest spirit I have yet tasted.

Nose:

This took a few minutes to develop when I first cracked the seal. But as I kept coming back to it, it was ever changing and quite complex (puts some single malt so shame). Lots of vanilla, caramel, syrup, maybe a hint of maple? Some red fruit in the background. The nose was intensified by a little water.

Taste:

Mmmmm. Warm. Thick tongue coating mouth feel. My tongue squeaked against my teeth. Sweet (very) but not cloying. Syrupy. Quite smooth. The caramel is forward, the vanilla in the background. Some rum-like qualities, Cuban or Nicaraguan maybe.

Adding water makes it hotter, brings out the alcohol burn, ironically. It does nothing for the taste, in fact, I liked it better neat. But give it an hour in the glass with water and it settles down, but it doesn't get better so why bother?

Finish is pretty long with a not so unpleasant lingering aftertaste.

I should add that this goes great with Trader Joe's milk chocolate (the one that comes in 3 little bars) or TJ's Swiss milk chocolate.

On its own, I recommend small sips. This is strong stuff.

Overall:

This is my favourite bourbon ever!

Whether it remains that way after I've tried a few more remains to be seen. But if this is an accessible, readily available bourbon, imagine what some of the rarer premium ones are like. I hope to find out one day, but if this is the best I ever get, I can live with that quite happily.