Every Thanksgiving I try to crack open a new bottle of bourbon. I open it when I start cooking and don’t stop until either the bottle is empty or the day is over. Considering I start cooking at about 9AM, it often ends up being a long day of drinking.

This year’s bourbon I’ve been anticipating for quite some time. I see it at whiskey bars and liquor stores but have not had the opportunity to take it for a spin. After so much delay, I was eager to pop the top on this bad boy and do some serious drinking. Without further ado, let’s chat Booker’s Bourbon (130.8 Proof)…

As with my previous review, I will provide my notes drinking the bourbon neat and on the rocks. You can find a bottle of this at Total Wine for about $60.

Smell: A lot of molasses with just a hint of vanilla. Young wood notes. Very strong alcohol. A bit of spice.

Neat: Starts out smooth, not very sweet. The burn of the alcohol is accented by spice. Comes off as a bit of cinnamon in the finish. The only time you get the molasses in the flavor is when you first take a sip. It’s very high in alcohol content so it takes a while to get acclimated to the burn. Upon further drinking, it really opens up to a much richer flavor. A bit like brown sugar. By the end of the glass it tastes almost maple-y.

Rocks: The rocks really just help to tone down the burn of the alchol. However, you also lose some of the sweetness and spice from the flavor profile. Does not necessarily make it easier to drink or provide a new experience in flavors.

Verdict: This is a pretty solid drinker. It gets smoother as you go with more rich flavors emerging as you get accustomed to the high proof. Pretty straight forward flavors once you get down to it but I like that. Considering the alcohol content, I was quite pleased that it got better as the day went. My only complaint is that it is a tad overpriced. A decent choice for an evening in at home. Nothing to show off though.