Booker's Bourbon - Review

What goes better with a slab of baby back ribs than fine Kentucky bourbon? How about three slabs, some baked beans, pulled pork and chicken and buckets of spicy BBQ sauce. That’s exactly how the gentleman’s scotch and poker club (GSPC) started our Sunday afternoon.

Booker's bourbon is one of Jim Bean’s special “small batch” bourbons, in the same family as Basil Hayden’s. The small batch group of special bourbons from Jim Beam goes back many years. Judging from both the Basil Hayden’s and the Booker's, these southern boys really know how to make a whisky.

The distiller tells us that Booker's is the only bourbon bottled straight-from-the-barrel, uncut and unfiltered. That didn’t stop the GSPC from sampling it in its entire 120+ proof splendor. The dark caramel-color spirit splashed into the glass led to much anticipation. Like good bourbon, there was no smoke, just smooth honey and fruit. The splash of water opened up vanilla.

By comparison, Booker's bourbon is woodier and less floral than Basil Hayden’s, although both are very smooth and enjoyable. The GSPC favored the Booker's for it’s slightly more robust flavor, although personally, I made my mind up for owning both. Booker's would be great with the BBQ and Basil Hayden for the nights you eat a salad.

As I sample through more and more bourbons, I’m beginning to see that that most good bourbons should be enjoyed with a splash. Southerners call this “bourbon and branch” referring to pure, clean water from a tiny stream called a "branch".

So when you’re smoking up a rack of baby backs, the Bookers Kentucky Bourbon is the perfect flavor marriage to your BBQ.