If you read my blog post about Kentucky Tea, you know that I recently had a chance to try the Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch bourbon. And from some of the feedback I have received, some of you want a review of the bourbon. As you can tell on the blog, this will be my first time reviewing a bourbon.

So here we go:

Notes From the Distiller:

The batch is made up of six production dates that were aged in six different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “Kentucky Tea Batch” is as follows:

2% came from the 3rd floor of 7-story warehouse 5

1% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X

1% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse D

12% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 1

24% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q

14% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Q

46% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z

This batch was pulled on a hot and humid day in July. The color of this liquid is golden amber, and you embrace the dark, sweet vanilla aroma right away. With just one taste, your mouth is filled with rich and sweet flavors of vanilla. The lingering finish isn’t overpowering, so soon after you’ll want another sip. I made myself a Kentucky Tea with Kentucky Tea Batch, and it brought back memories of my dad sitting at his own kitchen table enjoying his Kentucky Tea with supper.

My Tasting Notes:

My tasting was a decent size pour of bourbon from a good friend. It was consumed on the rocks in a glass. I had consumed a few beverages prior to the tasting, so my mouth was primed and ready.

When you first smell it, you get a huge hit of vanilla and oak. I think the tasting notes nailed that one spot on. It’s really vanilla forward. At first taste, you get a big punch in the face of alcohol and then it starts to tone down a bit (or I just got used to it). Once my mouth got used to the heat from the alcohol, I could really start to taste the flavor of the bourbon. And it was tasty.

I got a lot of vanilla (I think a lot of it came from the nose) and then I got into the yummy nuttiness, butterscotch, and caramel notes. I could tell this bourbon had a lot of character and body to it. When I think of really good bourbons, this is in the ballpark of what I would think of. Really heavy in the oak, caramel, and even a little brown sugar. Please note: I’m not expert, but I do enjoy a good pour of bourbon. So my descriptors might be a little off.

When thinking about how to drink this, I would recommend neat, with a splash of water, or on the rocks. I think each of these variations would bring out different flavors in this bourbon. I would also consider the “Kentucky Tea” variation mentioned on the bottle. I think something like that brings you a little closer to the way the professionals enjoy a good bourbon when they spend all day tasting bourbons.

Overall Ranking:

Was this the best bourbon I have ever had in my life?

No.

Was this in the top 20?

Quite possibly.

It was really tasty and I would love to have another drink of it. I think there was a lot of skill that was put into picking and blending that bourbon and it shows when you drink it.

Score (for those of you who like numbers) = 9 out of 10.

Have you had Booker’s 2022-03 Kentucky Tea Batch? What are your thoughts? Did you like it as much as I did? Do you other opinions? Leave your comments below!