Review: Booker’s Bourbon “Jerry’s Batch” 2025-03 and “Phantom Pipes Batch” 2025-04
The final two barrel-strength Booker’s Bourbon releases for 2025 are here. We’re ganging them up into this combo review. But if you missed 2025-02 and 2025-01, we’ve got you covered there, too!
Booker’s Bourbon “Jerry’s Batch” 2025-03 Review
The youngest whiskey in this batch is aged 7 years, 4 months, and 21 days. Unusually, it is blended in identical proportions (11.1% each) of nine different sub-batches each drawn from different warehouse. It’s named after Jerry Dalton, the first and only Master Distiller at Beam who wasn’t a Beam family member.
This is a magnificent blend. The nose is instantly pretty with maple and vanilla notes, light touches of baking spice, and some blueberry underneath it all. The combination settles into a groove that evokes caramel apple after having a bit of time to mellow.
The palate keeps the theme going. While many Booker’s releases can veer off into overtly savory character, Jerry’s Batch maintains its balance, with an effusive, almost chewy candylike quality. Nougat, caramel chews, and Mexican chocolate notes are all on display, with toasty barrel char gently layered in underneath. Some mint, ultimately closer to eucalyptus, informs a nicely fragrant finish.
Possibly the best of the four standard Booker’s batch releases of the year, neck and neck with 2025-02. 124.7 proof. A / $100 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Booker’s Bourbon “Phantom Pipes Batch” 2025-04 Review
7 years, 6 months, 15 days old. Named for a maze of pipes found in the rafters of Beams’ Boston distillery that were remnants of Booker Noe’s ancient (and presumably failed) experiments.
This initially presents itself as a sweeter expression of Booker’s, quite pretty with a sweet tea quality visible on the nose. That sweetness is fleeting though, as a bit of air helps Asian spices, heavy on cardamom, to come into focus, offering an exotic quality before black pepper notes take a more central stage. The pepper grows in power, and with time in glass it takes on a rather beefy and slightly smoky quality, driven by smoldering barrel char.
On the palate many of the same elements continue to dominate — charry pepper, racy cinnamon, and cardamom offering an Eastern sensibility. Water is a huge help with this whiskey as it tempers the heavily savory, meaty qualities that come into view, giving the spirit a warming finish instead of the gritty, biting punch it showcases at full strength. Appropriately tempered, it shows off some new elements, including a bit of palate-cleansing mint.
While ultimately this feels a lot like a fairly typical release in the Booker’s lineup, but it has just enough nuance going for it to make for a worthwhile sip — especially if you’re into more spice- and savory-driven drams. 126.4 proof. B+ / $100
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