Whiskey Of The Week: Booker’s Bourbon’s “Charlie’s Batch”

Four times a year, sure as the sun comes up in the east and sets in the west, a new edition of Booker's Bourbon is bestowed upon the world. OK, a few years ago it was six times annually, so maybe Booker's isn't quite as reliable as a celestial orb. But it still has a pretty good track record. Each bottling is unique, a one-time-only blend of various barrels of various ages, aged in various warehouses belonging to Booker's parent company, Jim Beam (now Beam Suntory), and bottled at cask strength. Each one has its own distinct flavor profile, but they’re also all of a piece. Full disclosure (and a bit of a humblebrag): I’ve participated in selecting a batches of Booker's for bottling a few times over the years, and there have been times when a favorite of the panel was rejected because it wasn't Booker's enough. I think that's a good thing — even if each batch stands apart, there should be a common thread running through them all.

For whiskey enthusiasts, having four Booker's bottlings a year is a wonderful thing. It means there's almost always a bottle available somewhere, and if you missed this batch, wait a few months and there’ll be another coming down the pike. For whiskey writers, on the other hand, it can be a problem. By the time we finally get around to tasting and reviewing the "latest" Booker's, another bottling, or two, or six, may have already hit store shelves. In fact, the brand's website already claims Batch 2023-02 (the second bottling of 2023, in other words) is the current edition. But since I haven't seen it on shelves yet and I just got 2023-01 (aka "Charlie's Batch") a few weeks ago, that's the one being discussed here. And I’m doing so guilt-free because older editions of Booker's can be found pretty easily online and at better-stocked liquor stores.

"Charlie's Batch" is named after the craftsman who's made the boxes that have housed each bottling ... [+] of Booker's since the beginning.

Charlie's Batch is one of many Booker's editions named after someone who looms large in the brand's legend. In this case, it's Charlie Hutchens, the craftsman who's made the signature wooden boxes that have housed every batch of Booker's since the first one. The late Booker Noe, the 6th generation Beam master distiller, bottled it as a Christmas gift for friends in 1987. Back then, a bourbon bottled at barrel strength wasn't widely considered a marketable commodity. Times have most definitely changed, thanks in large part to Booker and his namesake whiskey.

Today, Booker's son, Fred Noe, oversees each Booker's release. About 75 of them have seen the light of day as of this writing, and while I can't verify it firsthand, I doubt there's been a stinker in the lot. Charlie's Batch lives up to the brand's high standards. It's a blend of five bourbons produced on four different production dates and aged in four warehouses, aged a minimum of 7 years, 1 month and 8 days and bottled at 63.3% ABV. True enthusiasts can find on the Booker's website an exact breakdown of where in each warehouse every drop was aged and in what ratio.

Charlie's Batch has a distinctively Booker's aroma of vanilla, baking spices, and a touch of oak; this batch adds some roasted nuts to the mix. On the palate, it's surprisingly sippable for its high proof. Caramel, roasted peanuts and dark chocolate give off a bit of a candy bar vibe, but with enough oaky backbone to keep things from getting too sweet. A little water tamps down the heat without sacrificing any of the flavor, although I enjoy it at full strength.

That said, drinking a cask strength bourbon without any water isn't recommended for everyone all the time. And that's the nice thing about it — it's up to you to add as much or as little water as you want, rather than letting the distillery proof it down for you. So when you spend your $89.99 (suggested retail price) on a 750 ml bottle of Booker's, it's almost like you’re getting bonus booze, because you’ve eliminated the water that's normally added.

If you’re a bourbon fan, you shouldn't sleep on Charlie's Batch — and it's not advisable to take Booker's for granted in general. Reliability and consistency in a world full of next-big-thing hysteria isn't necessarily sexy. But there's always a place in the world, and your liquor cabinet, for well-made whiskey.