Penny for Your Thoughts - Booker's Blue Knights Batch, Glenfiddich 14, Knob Creek, Jameson
Yes, that is my Glenfiddich at the bottom right corner. No, sadly, that camera crew did not come to Better Days solely to hear my thoughts on these drinks.
Booker's Blue Knights Batch 2017-02 (63.7% ABV) - This is the first batch of Booker's I've tried, and it's quite enjoyable. The nose has so much cherry sweetness, a real Cherry Vanilla Coke aroma to it. There's a tiny bit of oak, but not as much as I'd want. The full proof doesn't really rear up and smack me in the face, which surprises me a bit given its relatively young age of slightly over 6 years. Must be good barrel selection. The palate has a heavy tannin presence, and is where the oak appears in force. It's a teethcoater for sure, with a rich, luxurious flavor and an almost waxy texture. The finish is really nice, dark stewed fruits, almost like a cherry pie, mixing in with the heat from the proof and loads of cinnamon and oak. After having about half of it, I dropped some water in, which brought vanilla cream to the fore, and made the palate a bit more vibrant. The finish unfortunately doesn't benefit from water; I get honey and some citrus tartness, and the astringency from the wood becomes too pronounced.
The brand currently is in the midst of a mini-controversy around pricing, as Jim Beam is attempting to raise the price of this bourbon from $60 to $100 over the course of the next few years, with each batch getting $5-10 more expensive. Right now, you can still find Booker's for $60-70. I think that's exactly where it belongs, and it's a decent value at that price, but it's not worth more than Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (about $70 locally). If it had a little more oak on the nose and balance throughout, it'd be a stronger competitor to Elijah Craig. B+
Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Reserve (43%) - Glenfiddich doesn't move me the way Ardbeg or Laphroaig do, but I came away from this drink with warm feelings (and not just from the post-Booker's buzz). The stated purpose of this scotch was to merge some bourbon flavors with Glenfiddich, and it's exactly as advertised. It would be a strong gateway or transitional drink for a bourbon drinker trying to get into scotch, or vice versa. It has a much lighter and maltier character than any bourbon, but the top notes are honey, toffee, and vanilla, more so than any of the usual fruit notes from Glenfiddich. It may be an unfortunate consequence of having this after the intensity of a cask strength Booker's, but I didn't detect a lot of unique notes here. The additional two years of age does help smooth this out compared to Glenfiddich 12, and it's not much of a price bump at a reasonable $50 a bottle. If 12 at $40 or 14 at $50 were the only two bottles on the shelf, I'd opt for this one. B-
Knob Creek (50%) - Knob Creek and Evan Williams Single Barrel strike me as very similar bourbons. They are great value picks in that $30-35 range, but they're both falling in age compared to a few years back, and may be losing a little depth of flavor as a result. I've had Knob Creek a few times over the years, including getting a bottle as a groomsman gift at a friend's wedding, and have always enjoyed it. Even without the age statement, I might still give the edge to Knob Creek because at 50%, it hits higher notes and maintains a strong harmony between its brown sugar, molasses sweetness and its peppery oakiness. The stronger proof also allows the layers beneath, including a nice mellow corn scent, to manifest over time. Again, I'm writing these impressions with the reservation that I had Booker's before this one, which really impacted by ability to taste subtler notes. But that's why I only do these short blurbs for drinks at bars! B
Jameson (40%) - I went out of order in these reviews, because I actually had this drink first, then went Booker's, Glenfiddich, and Knob Creek. I'll be the first to insist that there is a quantum leap from college-level rotgut to the Jameson level of liquor. Unfortunately, there's then another quantum leap between that level and entry-level single malts or bottles in that $40 price range. Jameson is kind of a downhill drink. The nose started off well with a huge note of stewed apples, but then layered in a whiff of paint thinner and light cream. The palate was light and airy, with little flavor development aside from nondescript sweetness. Innocuous is the best word for the first two phases. The finish was more than a little unpleasant, however. It didn't burn, but it just had a sour, bitter taste almost like a leaf, a twig, or tree sap -- and it built up as I kept drinking it. In the future, Jameson is going to be exclusively a shot or a mixer for me or, very possibly, something I never try again. C-