Every year for decades, Jim Beam has released four or more batches of its legendary Booker’s Bourbon. Few if any of them have been disappointing; most, if not all, have been delicious. But the best batch of 2026 may be the first one out of the gate—that’s how good this bourbon is.
Booker’s Batch 2026-01 “The Big Easy Batch” has everything going for it that the late Booker Noe and his fans would expect: a high-but-not-too-high proof of 129.1; a clear balance of deep vanilla notes against deep baking spices; a minimum age of over seven years.
“The Big Easy” batch is, of course, a nod to New Orleans, where the late Booker Noe spent a substantial amount of time. Booker’s son and Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe shared stories about his dad’s youth and mentioned his parents’ honeymoon in The Big Easy. “In later years, they’d always point out the bar where they shared a drink as newlyweds. But it 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.”
Booker’s admitted favorite flavor in New Orleans, though, was the Lucky Dog street cart. “We were watching Bourbon Street’s famous barrel races from the balcony of our French Quarter hotel when he spotted that cart rolling down below. He sent me to get us some—and boy, you’d have thought it was the best damn bite he’d ever had. His love for those dogs became legendary in the city, living on even after he passed—in fact, when Freddie and I last went, a five-star restaurant served us up some on a silver platter.”
Whether this whiskey hits the spot like your favorite hot dog is something I’ll leave to personal tastes, but as a Kentucky bourbon, it performed beautifully. Batch 2026-1 tastes like the best Booker’s bourbons—something hard to describe even if you’ve tasted every batch for the last decade like I have. The Big Easy Batch hits those molasses and caramel notes, alongside the telltale vanilla and peanut butter flavors that Booker’s is really known for.
This batch, however, still leaves plenty of room for nuances—cherry cough drop, hints of cola syrup, and a finish that is sweetness through a filter of dry, earthy baking spices. The lingering sweetness brings things together like a candy store, with distant hints of peanut butter cup and vanilla fudge.
Will the subsequent releases be better? Possibly—it’s certainly the case that a strong start can get better for a distillery with such a great track record. But history has taught me that when you run across a glass of great whiskey, you should grab what bottles you can find and afford. There will always be more new good whiskeys; the good whiskeys out now won’t be around forever.
The $100 suggested retail price continues to be a solid one for a whiskey that doesn’t disappoint, or change, or diminish year after year.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for whiskey reviews and trends, perspectives on drinks, and stuff.