Booker Noe used to have a habit of watering down his bourbon substantially. If you know the whiskey-making trade at all, that shouldn’t come as a surprise; it’s common to see samples watered down to 20% ABV or less for evaluation purposes. Noe used to do servings with one part cask strength bourbon, four parts water. He called that concoction “Kentucky Tea.”
This third batch of Booker’s for 2022 follows the trend seen in this brand this year. Described as being 6 to 8 years of maturity, Booker’s has been hovering around 6 1/2 years of age in recent times. For 2022, however, all the batches have been over 7 years of age. This one is 7 years, 4 months and 14 days. The strength came out at 126.5 proof this time. Booker’s still officially retails for $89.99.