The second release from Booker’s Bourbon in 2019 will be “Shiny Barrel Batch.” As with all Booker’s expressions, it is unfiltered, uncut and barrel proof.

The name references an old distillery tradition, the company says, when rackhouse workers would sneak a taste of whiskey straight from the barrel using plastic tubing — called “mules” — that they carried in their overalls. In doing so, their bellies would rub on the side of the barrel, removing dust and shining it up. Some used to say, “The shiner the barrel, the sweeter the whiskey.” Those shiny barrels were often found in the center cut of the rackhouse, where temperature and humidity were ideal.

Booker’s “Shiny Barrel Batch” was, as always, selected by seventh generation Master Distiller Fred Noe. And he continues to pull barrels from the center of the rackhouse, the company says.


Booker’s “Shiny Barrel Batch” is 124 proof. It aged for six years, five months and one day. This bourbon offers a sweet nose, the company says, plus a chestnut color and rich vanilla notes. The finish is medium and warm.



Booker’s “Shiny Barrel Batch” is available nationwide beginning in May in limited quantities for a suggested retail price of $79.99 per 750-ml. bottle.

This follows the first Booker’s release of 2019, “Teresa’s Batch.”