Booker’s Batch 2019-02 ‘Shiny Barrel Batch’ Cask Strength 750ml 124 Proof (62%)

The 2nd release in Booker’s 2019 collection. Only available at The Old Barrelhouse in Australia

Details
750ml: 62%alc (124 proof)
Bottler: Beam Suntory
Age: 6 years – 5 months -1 day
Cask: New Charred American Oak
Release Date: Mid 2019
Batch No: 2019-02
Bottler: Distillery bottling

Bottling Notes

Each year, Booker’s release a series of bottlings that celebrate the life of founder and former master distiller Booker Noe. This expression is the second batch in the Booker’s Bourbon 2019 Collection that only yielded 4 batches. (Batch no.1, 3 and 4 are also available on our virtual shelves)
This batch is made up of two different production dates that were stored in three different warehouses. Pulling from some of the centermost floors of the rack house (just as Booker Noe did back in the day) to find the shiny barrels – the breakdown of barrel storage for this batch is as follows:
18% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse D
39% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse E
43% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse J

Fred Noe (Booker’s son) 7th Generation Master Distiller, explains the story behind the name Shiny Barrel Batch….
“Back in the day, some of the distillery’s rack house workers would carry around “mules” – pieces of plastic tubing they carried in the front of their overalls – and use them to thief out a taste of whiskey (or two) straight from an aging barrel. Some of these men had, shall we say, prominent physiques. When they went in for a taste, their bellies would rub on the side of the barrel, removing dust and shining it up. Some used to say, “the shinier the barrel, the sweeter the whiskey,” and most often, Dad would find these shiny barrels in the center cut of the rack house where the temperature and humidity were just right.

When Dad was ready to lay down the first barrels of bourbon that would eventually bear his name, he knew it had to be in the same rack house location as the shiny barrels because that’s where the good stuff was. And while the days of mules are long gone, we still age Booker’s Bourbon in the middle floors of our rack houses to uphold Dad’s high standards for his namesake whiskey. I hope you enjoy this batch as much as I do!”