Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker is the fifth edition of the Booker’s Roundtable series for 2016 and like all of the other ones I’ve had. I really enjoy it. To me the Booker’s series truly captures the depth, elegance and brute beauty of Jim Beam. It’s a celebration of the distillery and consistently releases the best whiskey they have to offer.
In Jim Beam’s Words: Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker
“…Dad was a big man – over six feet tall – and he always said that he was most comfortable in a rocking chair, whether he was taking a break at the distillery or home relaxing on our front porch. It was his go-to seat, and everyone knew it. In fact, if you come visit us at the distillery today, you’ll see a statue of Dad in his rocking chair overlooking the rack houses with his beloved dog, Dot, by his side.
“Off Your Rocker” is also a tribute to Dad’s larger-than-life personality that he was so well known for. He always said exactly what was on his mind – cracking jokes and surprising people – and I remember our friends and family telling him he was “off his rocker” every now and again.
Like all batches of Booker’s, I personally selected this batch to ensure it upholds the qualities and standards that Dad’s namesake whiskey is known for — uncut at its natural proof and full of robust flavors of vanilla. I know that if Dad were here today, he’d enjoy a glass of this batch from his rocking chair on the porch, taking in the changing color of the leaves as the cool fall weather starts to set in.”
— Fred Noe, Beam Family’s 7th Generation Master Distiller
With that we head into the Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker review to see how the Fred’s words hold up.
Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Jim Beam
Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 6 years, 11 months & 0 days
ABV: 64.85%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 2016-05 Off Your Rocker
Price: $65*
Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker Review
EYE
Burnt caramel
NOSE
Nothing not to like in here. Oak, caramel, vanilla, dark fruit, roasted peanuts, herbal and a light bit of toasted biscuits, dried strawberries, alkaline and a roasty character.
PALATE
Oak, peanut butter, caramel, cocoa, herbal, minerality, toasted bread, dark fruit and a bit of spice. Big rustic flavors with a subdued spice.
FINISH
Long layers of toffee, vanilla, oak, spice and dried dark fruit.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance, round full body and an oily heavy feel.
OVERALL
There doesn’t seem to be a Booker’s I don’t like and this Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker is no exception. It hits me just right and find myself happily wrapped in its sweet oaky rustic depths every time. Next to Wild Turkey 101 and Four Roses Single Barrels this is the bourbon I drink the most of (Scotch it’s Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Ben Nevis).
Some releases I tend to like more than others and some releases I tend to like less than others, but on the whole it’s a bourbon that consistently hangs out in the B+ to A- range. Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker, like the previous releases, delivers on everything a good bourbon should and it does so in a warm, grin inducing, manner.
SCORE: 90/100 (A-)
*Disclosure: This Booker’s Bourbon Off Your Rocker was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
