BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: James B. Beam Distilling Co.
• MASH BILL: 77% Corn | 13% Rye | 10% Malted Barley
• AGE: 7 years, 2 months, 15 days
• YEAR: 2026
• PROOF: 129.1 (64.55% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99
• BUY ONLINE: Seelbach's

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Booker's fans who may, like me, think this "Big Easy Batch" tastes closer to Booker's of yore than some recent releases. And since Booker's was my wife's first bourbon love–yeah, it really was–don't fear introducing newcomers to a solid high proof bourbon.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yes, but it's not unusual to see recent Booker's releases at sub-MSRPs at places like Costco. Volume on these releases is pretty large, so you might want to wait it out.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar. It won't be hard to find at a bar as the release trickles into the market. Try it and see if you think it's worth finding a bottle.

OVERALL: A little backstory from the press release on this bottle was written by Beam master distiller, Fred Noe, and refers to his father, Booker Noe: "Dad sure found himself in the Big Easy plenty. ... (I)t was the flavors of New Orleans that really held a special place in Dad’s heart. He couldn’t get enough of its food–a fresh oyster here, a bowl of jambalaya there. But you wouldn’t find his favorite dish on the menus of the fancy restaurants. No, it was the Lucky Dog (hot dog) street cart that caught his eye and stole his heart. ... (Y)ou’d have thought it was the best damn bite he’d ever had."

In 1991, I and a friend visited New Orleans for the first time. We'd not eaten lunch, so when we arrived at about 7 p.m., we were hungry. My older brother, Mark, who covered pro and college football there, knew the town and suggested we get to the French Quarter, gobble down a Lucky Dog and start bar hopping. The hot dogs were tepid, mealy and almost tasteless, but they were the dinner at hand.

Mark said, "You know what they use to make Lucky Dogs?" We shook our heads. "Unlucky dogs. These are gross!" Truth.

Whether they were good back when Booker Noe ate them or we just got some bad ones, I don't know. Months later, I read "A Confederacy of Dunces," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about life in New Orleans. The book's protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, gets a low-end job working as a New Orleans hot dog vendor. Though the Lucky Dog brand wasn't named, its portrayal was satirized hilariously and, apparently, accurately. The hot dogs we got were as bad as Reilly described. (FWIW, the book is hilarious and one of my favorites. Highly recommended.)

Given Booker Noe's love of eating and making great southern food–and terrific bourbon, of course–don't be concerned that this 2026 Big Easy Batch will be as bad as those Lucky Dogs. (And let's be honest: We all have a bad fast food love from somewhere, right?) Though many say (me among them) that Booker's releases of the past several years lack the power and depth that defined releases which made the brand famous, it's always been a reliable bourbon. This is a continuation of that standard.

I rarely mention color in reviews, but this one is darker than recent Booker's releases: undeniably deep brown, though not much older than its predecessors.

Predictably, the nose leads with lots of dark caramel, tobacco, honey, vanilla, clove and nutmeg. At 129.1 proof, it's surprisingly easy on the sinuses.

On the palate, it's appreciably weighty, bringing oak, toasted bread, honey and some Mexican hot chocolate with it. Spices come on with cinnamon, a little black pepper and nutmeg, but nothing extreme. The finish is slightly drying, bears some bonus minerality and an expectedly impressive and velvety length. It should go without saying that its Kentucky hug was warm and gripping.

This is neither a showy whiskey with cask-finished flavor vectors galore nor a particularly powerful pour. It's just honest, approachable, full-bodied bourbon, the kind that makes old school drinkers say, "Now that's bourbon!" And based on every story I've heard about Booker Noe, that's the kind of whiskey he liked and to share with others.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

BRAND NOTES

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Aromas of vanilla, spices

PALATE: Big and bold, and unmistakably Booker's Bourbon

FINISH: Long and delightful

Liquid Breakdown:

·       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

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.