In the pantheon of cities with a serious appetite for livin’ good, livin’ well, and sippin’ right all the while, New Orleans might be the undisputed champion, at least in the U.S. of A. (let the debate rage on).
It’s the Big Easy that serves as the inspiration for the first release of 2026 from Booker’s, the meticulously crafted and undoubtedly intriguing small-batch bourbon offering from none other than James B. Beam Distilling Co.
The city boasts the always-vibrant Bourbon Street after all, and it’s with fond memories of ‘Nawlins’ that the latest from bourbon enthusiast favorite Booker’s joins the company’s enviable roster.
Booker’s was the brainchild of Beam distiller Booker Noe in the 1980s (Noe’s grandfather was none other than Jim Beam himself). It started with about 1,000 cases of barrel-strength bourbon given as gifts to friends and family, and has blossomed into a true collector’s item, with yearly releases like Booker’s ‘The Reserves’ offering up the best of experimental blending and batching.
For instance, last fall’s Booker’s ‘The Reserves’ offered delectable bourbon finished in ex-El Tesoro tequila barrels, while the 2024 Reserves release ran the gamut from eight-to-fourteen-year-old whiskies blended and offered up at about 125.9 proof.
Yes, if you love high-powered whiskey with a rich sense of character and craft, Booker’s very well might be the way to go. That doesn’t even include mention of its handsome wooden display box for the Reserves releases, a collector’s item nearly in its own right.
High-proof whiskey lovers and fans of New Orleans should find plenty to love in Booker’s “Big Easy” Batch.
Photo via Booker's
Made up of whiskey from five separate production dates, the liquid clocks in at 129.1 proof after an ultra-precise aging period of 7 years, 2 months and 15 days.
Priced at $99.99, the whiskey hails from five different warehouses and five distinct floors across the sprawling, idyllic Beam distillery. Like the joy of sipping a cold beer in the heart of New Orleans, it turns out that location is indeed everything.
That’s where the story of this release, with notes of rich vanilla and spice, circles back around to the fun-loving Louisiana flagship, as Beam 7th generation Master Distiller Fred Noe (Booker’s son) explained in a lovely tribute.
“For a guy who lived in Kentucky, Dad sure found himself in the Big Easy plenty,” Fred Noe said, reminiscing fondly on the elder Noe’s trips to Louisiana as a young man and as a newlywed on his 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.”
From oysters to jambalaya, the elder Noe had an appetite for all things New Orleans, none more special than Lucky Dog’s famed street cart hot dogs—hot dogs and bourbon… a match made in heaven?
“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,” Fred Noe says. “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.”
Fred Noe recalls even more fondly that on a later New Orleans business visit with his son (eighth-generation Beam distiller Freddie Noe) a five-star restaurant served the duo Lucky Dog hot dogs on a platter in a fitting toast to Booker Noe.
But back to this utterly delicious bourbon. Best enjoyed neat or with a splash of water to unlock its spiced aroma and rich flavor profile, Booker’s Batch 2026-01 “Big Easy” Batch should prove as memorable as any Booker’s expression to date. Fred Noe certainly seems to think so.
“Dad found flavors he loved everywhere he went,” Fred Noe said. “I hope you’ll be as taken with this bourbon as he was with those Big Easy Lucky Dogs.”
We’ll certainly raise a glass in tribute.
