OK, who’s Barry? He’s Barry Berish, the former chairman and CEO of Beam — and a friend of Fred Noe. Berish died last year and this batch of Booker’s Bourbon honors his memory.

Here’s some detail on what’s in the bottle:

“Barry’s Batch” is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in 5 different warehouses. The age of the batch is 7 years, 2 months, and 4 days.

The breakdown of barrel storage for the batch is as follows:
• 41% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 3
• 14% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 1
• 4% came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse H
• 32% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse X
• 9% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse G

Let’s dive in.

Booker’s Bourbon “Barry’s Batch” 2025-01 Review

At just over 7 years of age, Booker’s releases of late are falling in line right around this level. This expression surprised me immediately owing to its incredible sweetness; I can’t recall a bottling of Booker’s that has been so incredibly sugary — almost unbearably so. Boozy on the nose, it exudes notes of butterscotch, dark brown sugar, and a winey, almost Madeirized quality that offers a surprising, oxidized aroma.

On the palate, more butterscotch and milk chocolate pair with an immediate punch of fresh figs, followed by vanilla and sweet cola syrup. The whiskey’s sweet agenda hardly stops there, moving into notes of maple as the finish builds. Only a pinch of mint on the back end breaks up the onslaught of sweet stuff.

I am known for having a sweet tooth when it comes to whiskey, but this one was too much for even me to handle.

125.7 proof.

B / $100 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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