BOTM 9/10: Booker's

[The Boozer]

Good stuff but like most Beam products over-priced with alot of other bourbons available at similar or lower prices.

[The Boozer]

:cool: :grin: :hot: :shocked: :crazy: :bs: :22:

[squire]

I used to keep this on hand for a friend who was a regular visitor so I got to sample it often. I never became a fan though, it is too hot straight and gets thin when cut with water. Something everyone should try once but it's a personal call as to whether buy again.

[Lab Walker]

Ugh...very high proof.......

prefer Blanton's...but enjoy!

[gent2590]

This thread is getting old, but...

Just had my first taste of Booker's tonight and it blew me away. I had some makers mark earlier in the day and the Booker's to me seemed much more smooth, even with the high proof (IMO). It also appealed to my palate much more. If I see this on sale I will be sure to pick some up.

[HRay]

My first exposure to Booker's was at a bar in downtown Atlanta that I sometimes go to. All their Bourbons are the same price and Booker's was the highest proof so I figured it was a good bargain. I enjoyed it on the rocks.

Later my step-son came to town and had been looking for Booker's so for fun we did a vertical Jim Beam Small batch tasting (Basil, KC, Baker's and Booker's). I have always liked the Knob Creek (this was before the Single Barrel) but I was suprised how much we liked the Booker's! Unfortunately, as some have mentioned here, my next bottle was not even close to being as good.

I have since had the Single Barrel KC and although I expected it to be very similar to the Booker's, I found the KC SB to be a little harsh even though it is 9yo vs the Booker's 8yo. Here in Atlanta, they are almost the same price so I would go with the Booker's.

[Chuckles]

I sampled a pour of Booker's after a nice steak dinner, delivered in a brandy snifter. Didn't gather any details on the bottling. 100/107-proof bourbons are my favorites, and this Booker's had plenty of fire and I could taste the extra proof, which bothered me mostly in the sense that I felt the fire hid some of the flavor. And the flavor I could taste was nice (and seemed complex), so I wished I could taste more of it. I'm glad I tried it (that pour cost $14), but at $50+ in the store, there are others in that range I buy before Booker's.

[Parkersback]

I had a Booker's followed by a Baker's last week, and while I enjoyed both, I much preferred Baker's: it was sweeter and thicker, in contrast to Booker's which had more wood and more heat.

I wish Baker's was cheaper.

[anyexcuse]

Sorry, continue on........

[Res/st-or]

Booker's is one of my favs.... It was one of the first I tried when I was new to the bourbon. After tasting and owning a wide range of bourbons available, Booker's is still in my top 5.

[cigarnv]

for me it remains one of the safest bets when dining out as it is always good and readily available.....

[LikeItWasSodaPop]

Is anybody deterred from buying this because of the stupid box? I dunno, it seems like a fire extinguisher BREAK IN CASE OF EMERGENCY type of thing. I dunno, seems like it's trying too hard to be classy and just failing. (Also, WTF is up with the sort of drunk seeming handwriting in the case of the Booker's label ... ? Gives me a headache to read.) WTF am I supposed to do with the bloody box? I guess I find felt bags equally tacky, and even our beloved PVW gives those away, so maybe my annoyance is a little arbitrary, but the dumb box has so far prevented me from pulling the trigger on Booker's (and just hating Beam I guess). I'm glad BTAC and a lot of others are going with the minimal as classy route. But man, I don't need a stupid box. I guess we just are supposed to mount Booker's ICE next to fire extinguishers, bourbon being probably just as helpful in such emergencies as a fire extinguisher, I would think.

J

[Brisko]

Is anybody deterred from buying this because of the stupid box?

Not me, I care more about the juice than how it's packaged.

(Also, WTF is up with the sort of drunk seeming handwriting in the case of the Booker's label ... ? Gives me a headache to read.)

It's cursive?

It reminds me of my grandfather's handwriting. And he was a teetotaler.

[LikeItWasSodaPop]

Obviously good juice in the stupidest packaging will still be good juice. So Brisko misses my point. I'm assuming a world in which most of us have limited funds and thus we must occasionally judge books by covers, if only to pick between two equals.

I do think I raise a valid point, which is: what is this package trying to say? Other threads have spelled out the cost per bottle these dumb marketing ploys entail. Brisko says he doesn't care about how the juice is packaged, only about the quality of the juice, which is sort of like saying "I know you are but what am I?" OK, dude, we ALL care about the quality of the juice ABOVE ALL ELSE. That is implied or at least should be -- by our very being HERE on this site. My prior post makes it &*%ing clear that I have an irrational dislike of this particular brand. We all have our own biases, I'm at least being up front about mine. It was largely intended as humorous. I think the box is dumb and I wanted to say why.

Anyway, was just writing a slightly over-the-top post because I am curious as to how people feel about the package. Maybe some people love it. To me, it seems to say, "Hey, you are an idiot who has money to burn and will buy 'premium' products simply because they have 'old-timey' handwriting on the label and are in a fire extinguisher box." Clearly this is not the response of others. But I feel the same way about other marketing tactics, like felt bags and "Scotch"-esque cardboard tubes (at least those are cheap).

Anyway, Brisko making me feel bad for insulting his grandfather's handwriting (touche, man!) has convinced me to buy a bottle of this stuff and post on its merits. I will be leaving the fire extinguisher box at the store. God, I just hate that box. I'm sorry.

[nivto]

So just to clear this all up, what you are saying is that you really like the packaging Booker's comes in?

You asked questions in your original post. All brisko did was answer them honestly... seems like he touched a nerve without even meaning to?

I've got no problem with the label, and the box is of course overkill, but it was meant to be. I have been gifted Booker's several times by family/friends looking to get me a bourbon as a gift and if I had to guess why it would probably be because of the price and packaging. People see the over-the-top packaging and buy it thinking that it surely contains the finest whiskey. I am willing to bet that the box alone sells the whiskey to your average uneducated bourbon drinker.

[Josh]

...

People see the over-the-top packaging and buy it thinking that it surely contains the finest whiskey. I am willing to bet that the box alone sells the whiskey to your average uneducated bourbon drinker.

We educated bourbon drinkers would never fall for that *cough* Old Rip 23 *cough* *cough*

[2highcal]

So what did you think of it LikeItWasSodaPop I personally love Bookers however it is cost prohibitive for me of course if it were 35 bucks a bottle it would probably be on my rotation about 3 or 4 times as often maybe more