Booker's 2023-02 Apprentice Batch: 125.5 Proof, 7 Years 1 Month 2 Days

Booker's Bourbon is bottled the way Booker Noe drank it: pulled from the center of the rackhouse, uncut with water and never filtered. This batch lands at 125.5 proof (62.75% ABV) after exactly 7 years, 1 month and 2 days in oak. Booker's prints the age to the day, which no other major bourbon does.

What the Name Actually Means

Apprentice Batch does not refer to apprentices at the distillery. It honors Booker Noe's own apprenticeship, which began in 1952 under his cousin Carl Beam, who taught him to distill long before he became the sixth generation Master Distiller. As his son Fred put it, the batch pays homage to the early days of Booker's career, before anybody called him a master of anything.

Fred Noe, the seventh generation Master Distiller, selected this batch personally.

Where It Came From, Specifically

Booker's publishes the barrel sourcing for every batch, and 2023-02 was drawn from six different warehouses, with the single largest share, 36%, coming off the fourth floor of Warehouse Z. That is why batch chasing is the whole point with Booker's: change the warehouse and the floor and you change the whiskey, and no batch is ever made twice.

Booker Noe was Jim Beam's grandson, and the master distiller who decided the world deserved bourbon at barrel strength. Original release price on this batch was $89.99, in June 2023. It has been out of distribution since.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Oak forward with vanilla and toasted nuts, barrel funk and peanut brittle behind it.
• Palate: Huge and thick. Dark brown sugar and molasses with toasted hazelnut, charred oak and black pepper.
• Finish: Very long, closing on lingering oak, spice and sweet vanilla.

How to Enjoy

• Neat first: barrel proof bourbon deserves one honest sip before anything else.
• Then a splash of water: at 125.5 proof it blooms and the fruit steps forward.
• Batch tasting: pour it beside another Booker's batch and the warehouse difference is immediately obvious.

Product Details

• Distillery: James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, Kentucky
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, small batch, uncut and unfiltered
• Batch: 2023-02, Apprentice Batch
• Proof: 125.5 proof (62.75% ABV)
• Age: 7 years, 1 month, 2 days
• Barrel Source: Six warehouses, 36% from Warehouse Z, 4th floor
• Selected by: Fred Noe, seventh generation Master Distiller
• Released: June 2023
• Bottle Size: 750mL
• UPC: 080686011408
• Shipping weight: 5 lb

Note: this is batch 2023-02 specifically, at 125.5 proof. Every Booker's batch has its own proof, age and barrel sourcing, and they are not interchangeable.

⚠️ 21+ Only

Adult signature required upon delivery. Available where permitted by law. Please drink responsibly.

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