Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A

Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon
(Credit: Beam Suntory)

Back in 2014, Jim Beam celebrated the 25th anniversary of the first exploratory, almost prototype release of Booker’s with a 25th Anniversary Edition. That limited edition whiskey was noteworthy as having been barreled in January 2003, so it was 10 years and some months in age rather than the more usual six to eight year range for the brand.

Since then, Booker’s hit the ball out of the park with the release of Booker’s Rye in 2016. Now the brand has reached the 30 year mark, and hence brought out a 30th Anniversary Edition Bourbon. One of the modern features of Booker’s is how the batches are decided upon by some form or another of committee (sometimes members of the press are invited to participate, for example), but not this one. Booker’s 30th Anniversary is a Fred Noe creation, with his son Freddie Noe serving as a sounding board.

Noe started with 16 year old bourbon as his foundation, but found it was too oaky to be used as anything more than that. So, he selected a 9 year old bourbon and made that 70% of the blend. The largest chunk of the stock, 48%, came from the 5th floor of Warehouse E; the remainder came from three different floors of Warehouse H. The batch came out at 62.9% ABV (125.8 proof).

The Bourbon
The look in the glass is that of a viscous, deep amber whiskey. Swishing the glass puts up a coating with a beady crown, but one that takes so long to drop legs that I gave up waiting on them.

As soon as I read the proportion of old and middle aged bourbons used to make this batch, I could already hear the croakers barking “gimmick” (or things less kind) in my imagination. Some folks are always trying to get attention by making the most negative claims, but the truth is that old bourbon tends to be oaky, and those with developed palates don’t care very much for over-oaked American whiskeys and for over-oaked, cask strength American whiskeys even less.

In blending a hefty proportion of old bourbon with a clear majority of middle aged stock, Fred Noe has created a marvelous balance. The nose is thick with vanilla, brown sugar and caramel, but with an earthy texture and a seasoning of nutmeg, plus just enough woodiness to make a statement without becoming truly oaky. What is more, nosing this bourbon didn’t give me the slightest burn, which is saying something given its ABV.

Sipping on Booker’s 30 gives a flavor that is spicier than the scent suggested. The taste begins with a thick current creme brulee, but this is washed over by rising wood, earthy leather and spiciness on the back end. It’s the profile of an older, but still mild bourbon, one that is hoary rather than oaky. It’s a sipper to reflect upon. When the finish comes, it’s woody and spicy, with a hint of tobacco.

The Price
This item is supposed to retail at $199, but I’ve seen online retailers hawking it for a scandalous $1,500.