Booker’s First New Bourbon of 2025 Is Here, and We Got a First Taste

Jonah Flicker
·3-min read

Fans of barrel-strength bourbon, rejoice, because the first Booker’s batch of 2025 has finally arrived. The new release is called Barry’s Batch, and while its specs are typical for this uncut, unfiltered bourbon, it happens to be a very good one that is worth trying.

Booker’s is the OG member of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection. It was created by its namesake, the late legendary master distiller Booker Noe, in 1987 (it was called Booker’s True Barrel Bourbon back then) as a special treat for family and close friends. It joined the Small Batch Collection when that series launched in 1992, along with Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, and Baker’s. But Booker’s is the only barrel-strength member of this lineup, and is released in a few batches throughout the year (usually four), each with a name that is a tribute to a person or production method from the distillery’s long history.

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The latest release, Barry’s Batch, is named after former Beam Chairman and CEO Barry Berish who was a close friend of Fred Noe, Booker’s son and the seventh-generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. Berish passed away last year, so Noe decided to name this new whiskey after him. In a press release, Noe goes on at length about a party that Berish threw in 1995 to celebrate the distillery’s bicentennial. “All day, Barry brought Beam pride to everyone in the crowd,” he said. “He hosted the main event of the afternoon, where we invited anyone and everyone named ‘Jim Beam’ to come on over and join the leaders on stage… I can still see him, surrounded by dozens of those Jims, beaming. If it weren’t for Barry, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

According to the distillery’s notes, this release is made up of barrels from four different production dates that were aged in five warehouses, and the exact age of the bourbon is seven years, four months, and two days. For those that like to get into the whiskey weeds, here’s where the barrels were stored: 41 percent on the fifth floor of seven-story warehouse three, 4 percent on the fifth floor of seven-story warehouse one, 4 percent on the seventh floor of nine-story warehouse H, 32 percent on the fifth floor of seven-story warehouse X, and 9 percent on the fourth floor of seven-story warehouse G.

If you notice a trend regarding what floors the barrels were aged on, there’s a reason for that. Noe selects the barrels for Booker’s from very specific maturation locations, a key component to making sure it meets the right flavor profile and also has the right ABV. Barry’s Batch falls into the mid-range of where Booker’s usually lands at 125.7 proof—certainly a strong bourbon, but nothing too crazy and nowhere near hazmat level. As usual there are strong vanilla and nutty grain notes on the palate, with ample servings of caramel, dried fig, tobacco, dark roast espresso, and some black pepper spice. This might not be the most exceptional Booker’s release of recent years, but it’s pretty darn good and is absolutely worth seeking out.

You can find the new Booker’s “Barry’s Batch” (SRP $100) available to purchase at liquor stores or websites like Total Wine now.

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