Booker’s Teresa’s Batch 2019-01 Review

I love when bottles tell a story... let me clarify: a REAL story. I love when there is more to the bottle than just the liquid inside and that's one of the reasons I love these latest series of Booker's batches. Batches like this Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01 that pull their names from employees and people important to the brand and Booker's legacy. Some see it as pandering, I see it as honoring a legacy.

I'm always curious about the makeup of each batch of Booker's. It's interesting to see where all the barrels came from. I haven't deduced any real deep insights or meaning from them, it's just interesting. So, before we dig into this bourbon review, here's the DL on this SMB.

• 2% came from the 2nd floor of 7-story warehouse 5
• 1% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse 5
• 10% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse D
• 3% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse E
• 25% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse E
• 25% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse E
• 28% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse J
• 3% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse J
• 3% came from the 8th floor of 9-story warehouse J

Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01 Review: Details and Tasting Notes

Booker's Batch 2019-01 is named in honor of Teresa Wittemer, a longtime Beam distillery employee personally selected by 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe to work on his namesake bourbon brand. Booker always trusted his gut when it came to good bourbon - and good people. He hired Wittemer on the spot after a quick 15-minute interview more than 30 years ago, and she has been part of the family ever since.

Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01: Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky

Distiller: Jim Beam
Mash Bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 years, 3 months, 1 day
ABV: 62.95%

Batch: 2019-01

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $75*

Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01: Tasting Notes

NOSE
Dark fruit, baking spice, oak, mustiness, vanilla, peanuts and a bit of toffee and leather.

PALATE
Peanut butter, toasted grain, oak, dried dark fruit, dark honey, milk chocolate and some bits of vanilla and spice.

FINISH
Medium-Long -> Peanut butter, grain, oak and spice.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok sense of balance, medium-full body and a warm oily feel.

Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01 Review: Overall and Score

Gotta admit, this is my least favorite Booker's in a while: Aroma is a bit light and comes through a bit muddled with a musty note that persists and gets stronger with water; Palate is an odd delivery of peanut butter that starts like peanut butter toast and becomes Reese's Peanut butter Cup; Finish is just more of the peanut buttery same.

Don't get me wrong, I love peanut butter, but when it's coming through this heavy in my whiskey my fandom dips a bit. Without water, the oak and PB go back and forth in a battle for dominance, but once a bit of water is added the oak retreats and the PB takes over. Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01 is far from a bad whiskey, but doesn't quite hit the level of other batches.

SCORE: 86/100 (B)

*Disclosure: This Booker's Teresa's Batch 2019-01 sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.