Booker’s 8 Year Bourbon

Jesus Ca-Ripes on 12 red wigs.

 

THIS is what bourbon is all about. Ive been a fan of Booker’s for a minute, but for some reason, i never really appreciated it until recently. I think my pallette matured or even got smart. Because daddy likey.

 

Alot.

 

Lets start with the initial aroma that can only be the same as Ivan Drago punching you in the fucking face with a handful of molten caramel. Such an intense INTENSE complexity, it is a bit surprising. The most intense smell i get is a smokey citrusey vanilla oakiness. Like if you were to set a stripper’s casket on fire.

 

Ooof….too much? Too intense? I told you…this is a badass bourbon.

 

Then there is the taste. 

 

Imagine the greatest grand marsala that has ever touched your lips with a meritage of a thousand spices and smells while 14 ninjas were hitting you in the face with throwing stars made out of cloves and set ablaze. This is the kid you graduated that disappeared for a year and came back with a Beard, knowing 9 different disciplines of martial arts. This is all that of the bourbon family.

 

Where do you begin with the flavors….think of what a burnt orange tastes like just moments after you eat a Werther’s original. 

 

Its a little hot on the lips at first, as it weighs in at a Leviathan sized 126 proof. And believe it or not, its amazing neat or on rocks. I even had it with just a little spritz of water. Anyway you slice it, this bourbon IS why people move to Kentucky.

 

That and horses. Big, badass horses.

 

My score – 98 out of 100. Best. Bourbon. Ever. So far…….

Educational Post – Bourbon

Some of my friends who read my blog (all 9 of you) arent entirely sure what “bourbon” even is….

 

And to be honest with you, it can be a little confusing. Here are some pointers and myths i hope i can debunk.

 

Myth 1 – Bourbon is different than whiskey. 

 

Fact – All bourbons ARE whiskeys. But not all whiskeys are bourbons. Bourbon is a specific type of whiskey, like scotch. What makes a bourbon a bourbon?

 

Myth 2 – Bourbons are bourbons because of where they are made.

 

Fact – Ahh yes…the age old myth that i was believing for a looong time. Bourbons do NOT have to be made in Bourbon County, Kentucky. They do however, have to have THESE requirements to be a bourbon:

• Must be a minimum of 80 proof and cannot exceed 160 proof
• Fermented mash must be at LEAST 51% corn
• Must be distilled in NEW charred oak barrels

There are other smaller, trite and completely menutae’d details that i wont bore you with, but those three things are the pith of it.

 

Basically, its differences in those 3 things i listed above that differentiates other types of whiskies too, as well as other interesting nuances:

 

For example:

 

Scottish Whiskey or Scotch – Primarily made of barley malt, unless its blended.

Canadian Whiskey – Cannot be less than 3 years old nor contain more than 50% of the STRAIGHT grain.

Tennessee Whiskey – Is filtered through charcoal that was made from the sugar of a maple tree.

 

That all adds to my favorite part of bourbons, and that is the characteristics you get from different distilleries despite having requirements and limitations via regulations. Some bourbons have a butterscotch aroma, some smell like leather or tobacco. Some are smoky, some are buttery and fairly sweet. Some are better neat, some are better over ice.

 

Someday, ill get to them all, and youll read about it.