Jim Beam’s Booker’s Bourbon brand is an occasional source of whiskey geek grumbling, primarily for the fact that its MSRP was one of the earlier risers reflecting the heightened demand for cask-strength bourbon in the U.S. For a few years, this arguably made the moderately aged Booker’s less of a value than it once was, as it saw its typical price point go from about $60 to something closer to $90.
Here’s the thing, though–as bourbon price gouging and the effects of inflation have rippled through the whiskey world, the rest of the industry has long since caught up to the trajectory of Booker’s, and in many cases surpassed it. As that has happened, the price point that seemed like a deterrent in say, 2021, may not read that way at all in 2023, when the rest of the whiskey on the shelf has also increased dramatically in cost. One might even say that at $90, Booker’s once again represents a pretty good value in 2023, and that’s far easier to say when it’s a batch as good as the newly released Charlie’s Batch. Folks, this might be one of the best overall Booker’s batches we’ve ever had, which makes for a fine way for Beam to start the series in 2023.
Of course, every Booker’s batch needs a theme and a name, and this time they’re turning to a longtime friend of the distillery for inspiration. Charlie Hutchens is a former Jim Beam employee who worked at the Booker Noe Distillery–during that time, he ended up designing and crafting the first wooden box to contain a bottle of Booker’s for former Master Distiller Booker Noe. Hutchens has subsequently crafted all the years of Booker’s boxes that followed, eventually leaving the company to open a cabinet shop with his brother. Charlie is still crafting Booker’s boxes, though, and has likewise supplied custom furniture for the new Fred B. Noe Distillery, which is where Booker’s Bourbon is now distilled. Charlie’s Batch is obviously named in his honor.
Like all batches of Booker’s, Charlie’s Batch is presented at cask strength, this time weighing in at about 63.3% ABV (126.6 proof). Like other recent batches of Booker’s, this one carries an age statement of more than 7 years, reflecting the slow creep forward of this brand’s average age, though it’s not quite as old as last year’s final batch Kentucky Tea. So with all that said, let’s get to tasting.