Booker's 2017-04 "Sip Awhile"

[Steven C]

I was curious to hear from others about this bottle.  I opened one the other night and was just flat knocked out by it.  Almost syrupy, and just incredible depth of flavor.  Brown sugar bomb, and then the slow long lingering finish that starts in the chest and moves north.   By my lights, an otherworldly-good bourbon. 

[Richnimrod]

Actually kinda sorry to hear that.    The current pricing structure for Booker's (in The Mitten State) has me on the sidelines as far as Booker's is concerned.

[FacePlant]

2 hours ago, Steven C said:

I was curious to hear from others about this bottle.  I opened one the other night and was just flat knocked out by it.  Almost syrupy, and just incredible depth of flavor.  Brown sugar bomb, and then the slow long lingering finish that starts in the chest and moves north.   By my lights, an otherworldly-good bourbon. 

Recently left a post about this one. It was EXCELLENT by my humble standard. A buy for sure.

[miller542]

3 hours ago, Steven C said:

I was curious to hear from others about this bottle.  I opened one the other night and was just flat knocked out by it.  Almost syrupy, and just incredible depth of flavor.  Brown sugar bomb, and then the slow long lingering finish that starts in the chest and moves north.   By my lights, an otherworldly-good bourbon. 

Have you had previous batches of Booker's?  If so, how would you compare "Sip Awhile"?  Or anyone else for that matter able to compare Sip Awhile to other recent batches. 

 

Steven's impressions make this one sound very appealing, but $70+tax here also keeps me on the sidelines for Booker's at the moment. 

Edited January 3, 2018 by miller542

[kevinbrink]

The most recent Bookers I have had was a 2015 batch, but I have always found Bookers to be the best readily available Bourbon bar none. I find it better than most of the LE's and half the time when I have a pour I wonder why I buy anything else. 

[Steven C]

11 hours ago, kevinbrink said:

The most recent Bookers I have had was a 2015 batch, but I have always found Bookers to be the best readily available Bourbon bar none. I find it better than most of the LE's and half the time when I have a pour I wonder why I buy anything else. 

I hope I discover this to be the case. I have had Booker's before at a bar -- just once -- and it was very hot and hard to drink.  It had none of the sweetness or depth I found in this bottle.  My guess (now) is, probably that bar-bottle had been around a little too long... 

[kevinbrink]

3 minutes ago, Steven C said:

I hope I discover this to be the case. I have had Booker's before at a bar -- just once -- and it was very hot and hard to drink.  It had none of the sweetness or depth I found in this bottle.  My guess (now) is, probably that bar-bottle had been around a little too long... 

Interesting, I find it improves with air time generally. It could have also been something you ate/drank before you had it or maybe you weren't accustomed to high proof bourbon's at the time. My first pour of Bookers was probably 15 or so years ago and it was an experience to say the least.

[Steven C]

1 minute ago, kevinbrink said:

Interesting, I find it improves with air time generally. It could have also been something you ate/drank before you had it or maybe you weren't accustomed to high proof bourbon's at the time. My first pour of Bookers was probably 15 or so years ago and it was an experience to say the least.

I had always considered that super-hot taste I had to be from a bottle that had simply been sitting there with one last pour (a big one!) for too long.  (It was just the sort of place where that could happen: I'm sure the Malibu rum was fresh tho...)  And yeah, I was definitely accustomed to barrel proof bourbon at the time.  In any case, that experience did keep me from trying any of the Bookers's I'd bought and stashed for a "big occasion."  But after seeing this particular bottle for a good price, and reading a few heartfelt raves, I ran out to buy one, and popped it open for New Year's 2018.  The first thing I noticed was the viscosity -- really, completely off the charts. This bottle is almost syrup like.  After that, the sweetness and depth -- then the incredible smoothness combined with the longest finish I've ever experienced. Cascades of brown sugar, cinnamon...  It was very easy -- too easy -- to drink, and just exploded in the chest wth warmth.  Amazing bottle.

[jshleffar]

I'm normally pretty lukewarm on booker's, but opened this one yesterday and you're right, it's fantastic. Spot on descriptions of syrupy, heavy brown sugar. Not super complex but great at what it does.

[fishnbowljoe]

This has reappeared on the shelf at one local store after being absent for a short while. New price, $75.99.   

 

Joe

[gurgalunas]

I tracked one down and brought along on a ski trip.  After reading above posts, I had high hopes and considered buying multiple bottles.  It is good, has a long finish, really coats the mouth...  but the age stated is 6 yrs, 8 mo, 14 d.  You can tell.  Compared to what I've been drinking recently (W12, CEHTSiB, KC SiB PS), it's much lighter on the oak and much more corn-forward (not like a craft bourbon, but I can think of a dozen bourbons half the price that taste like they have spent more time in the barrel).  Don't get me wrong, it won't last the ski trip, and is drinkable neat for me.  I kinda like it as a change of pace.  It doesn't fit the profile I generally gravitate to, though.  Probably a one-and-done for me.

[PiraSea]

I've tried 3 releases of the Bookers and I've found the Sip Awhile to be fantastic. The first Bookers I had was "Off Your Rocker" and all I got was burn and couldn't get past it. Then I just picked it up to go smoke a cigar with and I was shocked at how much better it was. I then had the "Front Porch" at a bar and it was really bland, high proof low flavor. 

 

Then I stumbled upon the Sip Awhile and it was good enough that I got a second bottle to just store away. It was even better with a cigar than Off Your Rocker. A few pulls of the cigar before the first sip of bourbon will almost numb your taste buds to the heat of 129 proof. After that all you get is flavor, syrupy caramel. If you didn't know better you would think the flavor was artificial. With a cigar it's got the low heat of a Basil Hayden's but keeps all the good stuff. 

 

My cigar club is having a tasting with a Beam rep next month... hoping they have some more Bookers to try.

[Richnimrod]

2 hours ago, PiraSea said:

I've tried 3 releases of the Bookers and I've found the Sip Awhile to be fantastic. The first Bookers I had was "Off Your Rocker" and all I got was burn and couldn't get past it. Then I just picked it up to go smoke a cigar with and I was shocked at how much better it was. I then had the "Front Porch" at a bar and it was really bland, high proof low flavor. 

 

Then I stumbled upon the Sip Awhile and it was good enough that I got a second bottle to just store away. It was even better with a cigar than Off Your Rocker. A few pulls of the cigar before the first sip of bourbon will almost numb your taste buds to the heat of 129 proof. After that all you get is flavor, syrupy caramel. If you didn't know better you would think the flavor was artificial. With a cigar it's got the low heat of a Basil Hayden's but keeps all the good stuff. 

 

My cigar club is having a tasting with a Beam rep next month... hoping they have some more Bookers to try.

Tell 'em not to show up without it!!!!!

[fishnbowljoe]

1 hour ago, PiraSea said:

My cigar club is having a tasting with a Beam rep next month... hoping they have some more Bookers to try.

With a little luck, they might have all the offerings from the Beam Small Batch Collection. A couple of years ago or so, my local American Legion post (of which I am a member) did a Beam tasting. I'm not sure if it was through Beam directly, or from the local distributor. As I found out later it was free, but.... they had to agree to purchase x number of bottles of each. They did so, and from what the bar manager told me, it mostly didn't sell too well after the tasting.That is until me and the boys from our local small bourbon and cigar group started having our get togethers there.  Over the course of the last year or so, we drank 'em dry of everything except maybe Knob Creek. And we all had a helluva lot of fun doing so.  I hope you and your group has a good experience, and a lot of fun too. 

 

Biba! Joe

[PiraSea]

52 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

With a little luck, they might have all the offerings from the Beam Small Batch Collection. A couple of years ago or so, my local American Legion post (of which I am a member) did a Beam tasting. I'm not sure if it was through Beam directly, or from the local distributor. As I found out later it was free, but.... they had to agree to purchase x number of bottles of each. They did so, and from what the bar manager told me, it mostly didn't sell too well after the tasting.That is until me and the boys from our local small bourbon and cigar group started having our get togethers there.  Over the course of the last year or so, we drank 'em dry of everything except maybe Knob Creek. And we all had a helluva lot of fun doing so.  I hope you and your group has a good experience, and a lot of fun too. 

 

Biba! Joe

Just learned that it will basically a tour of the beam small batch collection + Maker’s. We will be putting a work load on Uber that night.

[Adam777]

I have been really enjoying this pour. I did a SBS comparison with OF1920 and Stagg jr. I have to say it’s hard to pick a winner. Each bottle has its own characteristics and I liked all 3. Probably my hardest SBS decision. Stagg Jr 131.9 ahhh can’t make a decision....

[The Black Tot]

<7r for >$70?

 

Nope.

[Sour Mash Esq.]

Put me down in the “it’s fantastic” camp.  We opened the 2017-4 in the office and 5 guys almost killed it in one session.  Had to get a backup.  We probably have 7 different Bookers on the shelf and this might be the best of them.

[PiraSea]

On 2/24/2018 at 12:04 AM, The Black Tot said:

<7r for >$70?

 

Nope.

Its all relative. I only drink this Bookers with a cigar as they pair so well. I smoke a $5 cigar that isn't really anything special and get about 10 cigar sittings from a Bookers bottle. Basically 10 cigars cost me $120 in cigars and bourbon. So $12 bucks a sitting for a decent cigar and a good bourbon 5 or 6 times a month. You can't touch that at a cigar bar when you compare.

Edited February 28, 2018 by PiraSea