I'm a Bourbon Expert. You're Going to Want to Track Down This New Booker's Bourbon Batch
One of the key moments in the rebirth of American whiskey happened because legendary bourbon distiller Booker Noe was thirsty.
Noe, who was Jim Beam’s grandson, was born into the liquor business. After decades making the family’s famous bourbon he realized that his favorite barrels came from the center of their warehouse A. If he wanted a whiskey to drink he would make sure it had come from that section of the building. This was a major epiphany that there are micro-climates in each warehouse and as a result the barrels age differently depending upon their location.
Courtesy Suntory Global Spirits
The bourbon brand Booker’s, which he created in the late 1980s, celebrates these differences. And to really show off the unadulterated flavor, Booker’s is a cask strength whiskey, which means that the alcohol isn’t blended with any water before bottling.
Fast forward to today and Booker’s is one of the most collectible American whiskeys. It comes out four times a year and each release has a theme and story that is usually inspired by Noe. He passed away in 2004 and each bottling offers a taste of his life and personality.
Courtesy Suntory Global Spirits
The latest Booker's release comes out today and honors Noe’s love of New Orleans. The so-called Big Easy Batch is made up of barrels that were stored in five of the brand’s warehouses. All of them were aged for 7 years, 2 months and 15 days, and the finished whiskey has a proof of 129.1.
“I really enjoyed the beautiful color of the batch that came from over seven years in the new white oak barrel,” said Fred Noe, Booker’s son and Jim Beam’s current Master Distiller, in a statement. “The nose is appealing and well balanced with vanilla notes that made me keep nosing the glass.”
Why NOLA? Noe famously loved visiting New Orleans and especially enjoyed all of the city’s local dishes, including hot dogs from the Lucky Dog street carts. “For a guy who lived in Kentucky, Dad sure found himself in the Big Easy plenty,” wrote Fred Noe.
Booker’s Bourbon Big Easy Batch Price & Availability
Booker’s Big Easy Batch is the brand’s first expression for 2026 and has a suggested retail price of $100. It’s available today across the country. The whiskey includes barrels from several of Beam’s warehouses:
- 16% was stored on the third floor of warehouse H, a nine-story house
- 24% was stored on the sixth floor of warehouse G, a nine-story house
- 16% was stored on the fifth floor of warehouse O, a seven-story house
- 22% was stored on the third floor of warehouse J, a nine-story house
- 22% was stored on the fourth floor of warehouse M, a seven-story house