Review of Booker’s Single Barrel Second Chance Batch

Nose

Brown sugar | Baking spices | Light vanilla wafer | Hints of caramel chews | Cinnamon raisin bread | Classic rich bourbon scents

Palate

Aged oak | Rich syrup-soaked raisins | Rye spice | Cinnamon stick | Light caramel sweetness |  Rich mouth-coating flavors

Finish

Bold rye spice | Baking spice | Light dry leather | Charred oak | Hints of sweet caramel | Lingering spice that doesn’t quit

Uniqueness

To say this is an incredible backstory sells it short. Never in the history of the Booker’s line has there been a single barrel released, and it’s possible there never will be again. It’s an incredibly heartwarming story that Beam donated this barrel to benefit the UK Transplant Center.

When we were contacted by the folks at Medicinal Whiskey Charity to sample and review this bourbon, we were honored to spotlight the amazing story and bourbon that resulted from it.

Value

Hailing from Floor 4 of Warehouse D, the barrel was selected in early May 2022, tanked in August 2022, and barreled in October of that same year. The bourbon opens with a great nose filled with rich classic bourbon scents. These aromas are delivered with an intensity that gives you a preview of its barrel-proof nature and makes you want to linger for just a little bit longer before taking a sip. When you finally do, you’re greeted with a great combination of rich mouth-coating flavors of aged oak and spice, along with a dollop of syrup-soaked raisins. Ending on notes of bold spice and dry notes, the finish lingers, refusing to quit. It’s a delightful sip that ranks up there with some of the best Booker’s Bourbon batches released to date. Comparing it against this year’s outstanding Booker’s Batch No. 2022-02 “The Lumberyard Batch,” which made our Best Bourbons of 2022 list, Booker’s “Second Chance” held its own and then some.

Overall

What’s most noticeable in Booker’s in its single barrel form is how zeroed in its flavor profile is. It’s a narrow band of flavors that can instantly be picked out from one another and each equally shares the spotlight. It’s possible why this particular single barrel was picked out, as it tightly aligns with Noe’s ideal flavor profile and may very well be a shining example of a quintessential Booker’s bourbon. It’s surprisingly not overly showy in any aspect and comes across as a reserved, distinguished, and all around great tasting bourbon.

This is truly a special bottle, not only because of its very good flavor profile but also because of the amazing story of how it came to be and the money it continues to raise. Ryan Gossage, Chairman of the Medicinal Whiskey Charity provided us some additional background: “So far, 110 of the 175 bottles have raised 250k. We sent a check in to the UK transplant patient assistance fund for $250k earlier this week. This is a fund that Dr. Malay Shah, Fred Noe, and MWC have helped to create within the past year. Transplants occur at all hours of the day and night, with patients and their families under a tremendous amount of stress to be ready 24/7. Fred, Malay, and MWC hope this fund will play a small part in helping to relieve that stress.” Gossage went on to tell us that “the final 65 bottles will be part of fundraising in the future over the next 5-10 years with all of those proceeds going to the patient assistance fund.”

While we’re sure many bourbon drinkers would love the chance to taste Booker’s in its single barrel form, the most important thing to focus on is that Fred Noe is healthy and able to continue to create great Booker’s batches for the foreseeable future and that DeeAnn is healthy and able to continue her role as Plant Support Coordinator at Beam’s distilleries. If you have an opportunity and means to bid on one of the remaining Booker’s “Second Chance” single barrel bottles, know it’s for a great cause and the bourbon definitely doesn’t disappoint. Not only will you be helping a fantastic cause, but you also have the opportunity to walk away with a great bourbon that has one of the most unique and warming backstories of modern times.

The sample being reviewed comes from bottle 115 of 175.

The sample used for this review was provided to us at no cost courtesy of the Medicinal Whiskey Charity. We thank them for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.