Booker's Bourbon Kicks Off 2026 With New Big Easy Batch Release

Booker's Bourbon opened 2026 with "Big Easy," a high-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey paying tribute to one of Booker Noe's favorite cities: New Orleans. Aged seven years, two months, and 15 days, it sits right in the sweet spot of Booker's ideal range and is bottled at 129.1 proof, on the higher end of the spectrum for the brand.

The batch is a blend of barrels from five separate production dates aged across five different warehouses, carrying an age statement of 7 years, 2 months, and 15 days and bottled at 129.1 proof. The breakdown is precise: 16% from the third floor of warehouse H, 24% from the sixth floor of warehouse G, 16% from the fifth floor of warehouse O, 22% from the third floor of warehouse J, and 22% from the fourth floor of warehouse M. High-floor barrel placement is not incidental. Booker Noe's recognition that barrels age differently depending on their location in the warehouse was a major epiphany that changed the course of bourbon production.

Booker's stands out as the uncut, unfiltered member of Jim Beam's Small Batch Collection, a whiskey Booker Noe created in the late 1980s as a gift for family and friends. It is released in four batches per year, generally falling within parameters of 6 to 8 years old and between 120 and 130 proof. Big Easy at 129.1 proof lands at the upper edge of that window without crossing into hazmat territory.

Fred Noe, 7th Generation Master Distiller, made the personal stakes of this batch clear. "For a guy who lived in Kentucky, Dad sure found himself in the Big Easy plenty," Noe said. "He made his first trips down there as a young man, friends like Billy Roby by his side, the two of them eating and drinking their way around town. Some time after that, he and Mom visited on their honeymoon. In later years, they'd always point out the bar where they shared a drink as newlyweds. The place seemed to love him back too, during one visit they even changed the name of Bourbon Street to Jim Beam Bourbon Street for a day."

Noe also recalled his father's obsession with a specific hot dog cart spotted from the balcony of their French Quarter hotel during Bourbon Street's famous barrel races. "He sent me to get us some," he wrote, "and boy, you'd have thought it was the best damn bite he'd ever had." Booker's love for those hot dogs became legendary in the city, living on even after he passed, and when Fred and his own son last visited, a five-star restaurant served them up on a silver platter.

Early tasters found a delicacy on the palate despite the higher proof, with classic Jim Beam peanut notes alongside vanilla, maple, butterscotch, honey, dark chocolate, black pepper, and dried fruit — classic barrel-proof bourbon, which is exactly what you're looking for when you decide to drink Booker's.

The suggested retail price is $99.99 per 750-ml bottle. Big Easy is rolling out nationally, so check local liquor stores in the coming weeks to find a bottle. The James B. Beam Distilling Co. may have shut down one of its main distilleries for the year, but that has not slowed the pace of new releases. With three more batches likely before December, Big Easy sets a high standard for whatever follows.