Beam’s Latest Booker’s Bourbon Defies Expectations in a Major Way — Here’s What You Need to Know

(Photo: James B. Beam Distilling Company)

On Tuesday, The James B. Beam Distilling Co. and eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe announced the release of Booker’s The Reserves 2025, the second installment in the annual limited series honoring sixth-generation master distiller Booker Noe.

This year’s batch is a highly unusual one that’s sure to be controversial among Beam diehards; it’s the first spirit in the Beam portfolio to be finished in tequila barrels.

The Booker’s brand is generally considered to be a true bourbon purist’s bourbon; high proof, sweet and oaky. Last year’s The Reserves followed that description to a T: 8-14 years old, cask-strength 125.9 proof, no finishing. Thus, the agave infusion is likely to raise some eyebrows. Of course, to truly judge it, you’ll have to taste it first.

The barrels used to finish the The Reserves 2025 are well-traveled. They were first used to age Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon before being sent to Jalisco, Mexico, where the Camarena family used them to mature El Tesoro’s 85th Anniversary Tequila. Beam and El Tesoro both are under the Suntory umbrella, so the partnership makes sense from that standpoint. Next, the barrels returned to Kentucky, where Freddie Noe selected them to finish the new release.

Bottled uncut and unfiltered, Booker’s The Reserves 2025 comes in at 123.3 proof. It was aged eight years, 10 months and 11 days — no mention of how much of that aging was in the tequila casks. The distillery describes the whiskey’s profile as opening with caramel, vanilla and agave on the nose, leading to caramel, oak and baking spice on the palate, and finishing with agave and black pepper.

The suggested retail price is $129.99. Availability is limited.

Freddie Noe had the following to say about the release:

“Welcome to the second batch of The Reserves: a celebration of my Granddaddy Booker’s legacy. In many ways, it’s the same Booker’s you know and love. Always uncut and unfiltered. But in other ways, The Reserves is something new, inspired by my granddaddy’s boundless curiosity and relentless pursuit of flavor.

“You see, he was never not exploring how to make even better bourbon. He always had an experiment on the go. Either spending hours around the kitchen table pondering “what if we did X or Y….” Or locking himself away at the distillery to chew on a question he needed to get to the bottom of. He’d come home eager to share the fruits of his tinkering with friends and family. Not just for us to enjoy, but to see if his experiments had paid off, or get inspiration for what he could try next time. Needless to say, we were all more than happy to be his guinea pigs. His creativity showed me how much more is possible with the whiskey we all know and love. I’m proud to carry his spirit forward and hope each release gives you a new appreciation for flavor, just as Booker intended.”