BOOKER’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY BOURBON

Booker’s 25th Anniversary Bourbon  is considerably darker and richer in color than the traditional Booker’s release. From the nose its cask strength is immediately clear, with aromas just bursting from the glass. While oak is one of the predominant aromas, it’s not the only one, and it’s accompanied by deep caramel, marzipan, clove, and cinnamon. As with the nose, the entry for Booker’s 25th Anniversary is explosive with deep caramel and cinnamon leaping from the glass. The entry has such a nice mouthfeel that it’s hard to believe that it’s 65.4% alcohol. It’s in the midpalate where the raw strength of the spirit really shows itself, with strong cinnamon spice, clove, and oak spice.

The deep caramel from the entry is still there in the midpalate providing a rich, sweet floor for all the spice to stand on top of. While there’s definitely some heat here, it’s not unbearable and even considerably tolerable given the proof. The finish is medium long and fairly dry. A lot of what has been established in the midpalate dissipates as it finishes fairly clean with slight caramel and cinnamon. The finish is well within Beam’s core style but a little more abbreviated than we would have liked from this otherwise lush and flavorful whiskey.