Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2015-06 Wraps Booker’s Year

It has been quite the year for the Booker’s Bourbon brand from the folks at Beam. The bourbon “inspired by a 200 year old family tradition,” which included being bottled unfiltered and at natural proof, has been through five special releases that each honored its namesake Booker Noe. Now the final expression is coming to market, chosen by Fred Noe and a special panel of whiskey specialists, and it is called Booker’s Batch 2015-06 “Noe Secret.”

Noe Secret, according to Beam, is said to be “a testament to the robust recipe first created” by Booker Noe himself. It is a hardy, light you up bourbon which is over six and half years in age and clocks in at 128.1 proof. Like the others in the 2016 line up, the bottle the whiskey comes in also sports a special label reflective of the name choice for the batch.

“This batch’s name is a play on words, because Dad kept no secrets — in his life, or in the way he made his bourbon,” said Fred Noe in a statement. “He used only the best ingredients available, and made me promise that after he retired, the recipe for Booker’s would never change — and it hasn’t. Booker’s Batch 2015-06 offers fans the robust, full-bodied whiskey profile they’ve come to know and love, just the way Dad liked it.”

As mentioned earlier Fred Noe had a little help in choosing this particular batch via the collective minds of the Booker’s Bourbon Roundtable, a group he occasionally turns to for this selection process. The members of this tasting panel included:

• F. Paul Pacult, Editor of F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal and Founder of Ultimate Beverage Challenge
• Geoff Kleinman, Founder and Managing Editor of DrinkSpirits.com
• Jack Robertiello, Spirits Writer and Spirits Competition Judge
• John McCarthy, Spirits Writer and Senior Managing Editor of Men’s Health Magazine
• Tony Sachs, Spirits Writer For Robb Vices and Serious Eats
• Guest Panelist: Kevin Sintumuang, Digital Director for The Wall Street Journal
• Guest Panelist: G. Clay Whittaker, Freelance Writer for Men’s Journal and Forbes

Limited tasting notes for Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2015-06 “Noe Secret” are below for your consideration. Should you aim to hunt down a bottle of it, expect to pay around $60.

• Nose: Vanilla with hints of cherry
• Finish: Long, warm and smooth finish