Per Freddie Noe: Little Book Chapter 5, “The Invitation,” is the fifth chapter in the Little Book Whiskey series. The Invitation offers a chance for any curious whiskey drinker to expand their palette - both seasoned connoisseurs and newcomers alike. The name of this year's chapter offers fans of American whiskey an opportunity to experience liquid that I personally had a hand in creating and blending and showcases the innovation of Little Book chapters over the last five years. Little Book Chapter 5 is a blend of four different liquid streams with a vast range of ages, flavors and distillation styles. Three of the four liquid streams contained in Chapter 5 were distilled under my watchful eye, and I'm thrilled to offer drinkers a whiskey that is both expansive and complex. With the base of this blend being a 2-year-old bourbon, this chapter continues to push the boundaries of blending and challenges what some might assume of lower aged whiskies. The way these liquid streams complement each other makes this liquid extremely approachable, even for those who haven't given cask strength whiskey a try. The Invitation was one of the more difficult chapters to perfect. Harmonizing such varied liquids and ages requires delicate balancing of flavors and immense amounts of patience, but the effort was certainly worth it when you taste the final product. Little Book Chapter 5 is my way of inviting Little Book drinkers into different aspects of the whiskey space, regardless of if they've been along for the ride since Chapter 1 or are just tasting Little Book for the first time.

The batch is made up of barrels from two production dates that were aged in five different rackhouse locations. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker's Pigskin Batch is as follows: 14% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse L, 15% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H, 27% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse M, 32% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse X, 12% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z. This batch of Booker's has a beautiful color that previews the complexity you will experience when you stick your nose into the glass for the first time. The brown sweets come through with some slight vanilla notes. The taste is big and bold, and this batch is bottled straight from the barrel - just the way all Booker's batches have been since Dad created his namesake brand more than 30 years ago. The finish is long and warm. This will be a great batch to enjoy as the temperatures start to drop a little and you're watching your favorite football teams this season.