Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old (68.1% ABV) which has been age for 13 Years, 1 Month and 12 days, began life as an experiment by Booker Noe (the grandson of Jim Beam) at the family distillery in Kentucky, shortly before his death in 2004.
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| Booker's Rye 13 Year Old |
Following Booker's death, his son Fred Noe, Jim Beam's 7th Generation Master Distiller, followed the progress of the casks, and the result is a rye whisky which has scored 97.5 out of 100, in the latest edition of the Whisky Bible.
After sampling 1,241 new whisky samples, Jim Murray's top three contenders for this year's top accolade were: Booker’s Rye 13 Year Old, Glen Grant 18 Year Old and William Larue Weller (134.6 Proof) Bourbon.
Glen Grant Aged 18 Year Old, which was also awarded the title of "Scotch Whisky of the Year" is the first Scotch whisky to have made the final shortlist since 2014. For the last two years; a Japanese whisky (Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013) in 2015 and a Canadian (Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye) whisky in 2016, have won the top award.
Commenting on this year’s top award, Fred Noe, said: "On behalf of my dad, Booker Noe, I could not be more proud to see Booker's Rye named 'World Whisky of the Year. Dad was more than just a distiller. He was a big thinker and a man who loved to experiment -- and Booker's Rye is a true celebration of that. Together with my son, Freddie Noe, I'm excited to carry on this legacy of innovation -- and our family's 220-year tradition of crafting the highest quality bourbon and whiskey -- for years to come. Let's just say we have some exciting things ahead."
This year’s regional winners include: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye “Canadian Whiskey of the Year” - Redbreast 21 Year Old “Irish Whiskey of the Year” - English Whisky Co. Chapter 14 “European Whisky of the Year” - Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2016 “Japanese Whisky of the Year” and Kavalan Solist Moscatel “Asian Whisky of the Year”.
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2017, will be available later this month for a RRP of £12.99.
Posted by Steve Rush