BOOKER’S
2017-04 “Sip Awhile”MASH BILL – 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
PROOF – 128.1
AGE – 6 years 8 months 14 days
DISTILLERY – Jim Beam
PRICE – $85
WORTH BUYING? – Yes
Uncorked and tasted in The Year of No Buying (The what? 🔗 here.)
When I uncorked this bottle late one sunny, cool, crisp afternoon, it had been quite a long while since I’d cracked a Booker’s. The last bottle I’d had I sipped away over the summer and autumn of 2021. That was the 2014-05 release, among the last using the old plain labels, no nickname, just the specs—in that bottle’s case, a 127.9 proof blend of bourbons, the youngest of which was 7 years 5 months.
That release was a classic, dry Booker’s, emphasizing the oak over the juicier, more syrupy elements that a Booker’s can sometimes have. The typical Booker’s cinnamon notes were there, and nicely balanced rather than taking over, which is what seemed to start happening with some regularity around 2020 or so. I like cinnamon, but not by the heaping spoonful. So this seeming shift of emphasis in the flavor profile, in combination with the price having climbed to three digits, moved Booker’s off my go-to list.
This was quite a change for me, considering Booker’s was the bourbon that made me love bourbon. Had Booker’s changed, or had I? At one point I’d amassed quite a number of releases. But with the Great Cinnamon Shift of 2020 I all but stopped buying the brand. It just wasn’t worth the new price for me—especially considering the similarly intense and much older Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was still out there for—in 2020—around $60 on average.
I’d already enjoyed a bottle of the 2017-04 “Sip Awhile” release back when it originally came out. My notes on it were a big thumbs up. So when I found this bottle cloaked in a shawl of dust atop a rando corner store’s shelf in 2022, and for just a bit cheaper than contemporary releases, my nostalgia for Booker’s past compelled me to snap it up.
Now here we are, nearing three weeks after uncorking and a few pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using both a simple brandy glass and traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – russet and vibrant oranges, from toasted and dusty to pumpkin and fiery
NOSE – reserved, with dusty oak, thick dry caramel, gooey caramel as well, dry cinnamon baking spices, faint chocolate and orange
TASTE – much more forthcoming than the nose, with pulpy orange zest garnishing thick and oily caramel, sweet but solid and dusty oak, a dash of the baking spices
FINISH – a wave of sweet oak tannins, then chocolate, thick caramel chunks, light baking spices, lingering warmly with sweet dark oak
OVERALL – despite the shy nose, a solid, comfy bourbon rich with classic flavor notes, and surprisingly easygoing given the mighty 128.1 proof
It’s a good Booker’s. Confident, rich, complex without complications. Very easy to sip—I’d never guess the proof was north of 120.
The layered variations of caramel and oak stand out most for me. That pulpy orange zest adds a welcome sweet note to the drier oak and spice notes. The more I sip it, the more forward the cinnamon leans on the palate and finish. It’s quite tempered compared to those 2020 bottles. But still I’d trade it out for more fruit and chocolate if I could.
I’d warmed up my palate for this tasting with some Rubicon Bourbon from Dry Diggings Distillery. As I observed in my notes on that bottle, I suspect the Rubicon might have been sourced from Jim Beam, before being subjected to the blasting hot Northern California climate that distinguishes Dry Diggings’ various sourced and in-house products. I could imagine a barrel proof Rubicon going toe to toe with this 2017-04 Booker’s. There would certainly be taste variations between them. But the quality would be on level.
So Booker’s still makes an impression. But considering the crowded contemporary bourbon shelf, Booker’s is no longer the standout weirdo cowboy whiskey it once was to me. More like the old cowhand who’s refused to change with the times. Knows what it’s doing and does it well, despite the occasional stumble or forgetfulness. But the newer hands also know what they’re doing, and they offer fresh perspectives, sometimes at comparable or better prices.
Nevertheless, this 2017-04 Booker’s will keep me warm this Winter.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 