John Lee Hooker is synonymous with blues music. Born in Tutwiler, Mississippi in 1917, Hooker would go on to win four Grammy awards and cement himself as one of the greatest blues musicians of all time before his passing in 2001. In a nod to his legacy, his daughter Zakiya Hooker and grandson Glenn Thomas have created John Lee Hooker Legacy Spirits. The company states that “Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948”, its namesake coming from Hooker’s 1948 debut single, “Boogie Chillen’,” and the first "down-home" electric blues song to reach number one in the R&B records chart.

The bourbon opens with light predominant scents of candy corn and corn syrup. Exploring further reveals a layer of oak, vanilla, and light caramel, of which wrestle with a veil of ethanol. The aroma is more basic than not, giving off a youthful vibe.

The midpoint of the whiskey thankfully brings more life to the sip that was lacking in the nose. Baking spices and white peppercorn combine with sweet syrup at the start. Light oak is present along with slight rye spice and vanilla notes. While it has a youthful edge to it, overall the syrup does a nice job of countering this trait and stops the sip from veering off the rails.

A prickly peppercorn spice flashes up front before quickly being replaced with vanilla and lightly charred oak. A dash of rye spice and leather kicks in while a rising heat quickly forms. The heat remains along with dry vanilla powder and oak before fading out. Overall, it’s in line with the rest of the sip, providing for a straightforward ending.

Celebrity bourbons are not a new concept, with more and more celebrities attaching their names to whiskeys as bourbon continues to grow in popularity. While celebrity bourbons attached to those who have since deceased are rare, they’re also not unprecedented as even Elvis’ name has been attached to whiskey releases. That said, while blues and whiskey are often synonymous, naming a whiskey after a blues legend is something the market has yet to see.

Growing up, my father had a weekly FM blues radio show, “Muskie’s Juke Joint,” which meant I was exposed on a daily basis to various blues musicians for a good portion of my life. When I saw that a bourbon carrying John Lee Hooker’s name was coming out, it felt like two worlds colliding. My interest was piqued, as this is a slice of Americana that often references whiskey in various songs, but has yet to have a whiskey dedicated to one of their own.

In terms of the actual bourbon, while it is sourced from Bardstown Bourbon Company, many more developed and refined whiskeys have come out of the distillery as compared to Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948.” The sip delivered is straightforward and average, which from a flavor standpoint doesn’t allow it to stand out at all in the marketplace. However, while it’s certainly not the first celebrity bourbon ever produced, it breaks ground in recognizing and being named after one of the great blues musicians of the 20th century.

A celebrity bourbon doesn’t necessarily mean that it carries a price premium due to the name attached to the whiskey. This can be seen in examples such as Brother’s Bond, Traveller Whiskey, and many of the Heaven’s Door releases. Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948” however, bucks that trend and carries with it a premium price tag at $112. While this shouldn’t be unexpected as most would assume that a bourbon associated with a celebrity would typically carry a premium, it feels out of place in this instance given Booker’s limited modern mainstream appeal.

Even though the bourbon itself is sourced from Bardstown Bourbon Company, Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948” is just average at best. It carries youthful notes and overall feels very much in line with its low age statement. It’s not bad, but it’s also far from worthy of carrying a price tag that is over $100. Lovers of blues music may be able to justify the price as a one-off novelty purchase due to the fact that their music genre hasn’t been honored by a bourbon release yet, however, most others will have a very hard time justifying Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon’s asking price.

As John Lee Hooker himself once said, “Well, it ain’t nobody got a style like John Lee Hooker. I got my style all to myself.” As is true in life, those words hold true in death. What Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948” is not, is a bourbon that will stand out on the shelves and be able to hold its own against other similarly (or even lesser) priced bourbons. However it is a nod to a blues legend who lived his life his way, introduced by his own family members. At first glance, it may come off as a cash grab, but few outside of the world of blues will instantly recognize the name John Lee Hooker. Instead, this bourbon comes across as more of a nod to a genre of music that is intricately woven into American history and those who are fans will very much appreciate it having its moment in bourbon. Boogie Chillen’ Bourbon “1948” serves a place and a purpose, and while most will write this off as just another average sourced whiskey, for that niche of people who are fans of the blues, this release will certainly be one that catches their attention.