Review: Booker’s Bourbon “Big Easy Batch” 2026-01

The first batch of Booker’s Bourbon for 2026 arrived a few days ago. We’re jumping on top of it with coverage of this “Big Easy Batch,” named for Booker Noe’s love of New Orleans. Who can blame him? This expression is a blend of five sub-lots from the Beam warehouses, the youngest being 7 years, 2 months, and 15 days old.

Booker’s Bourbon “Big Easy Batch” 2026-01 Review

I always equate New Orleans with spice, and here the connotation is spot-on perfect. The nose of this bourbon is racy with rye-driven notes, aggressive (but not over the top) with aromas of cloves and searing black pepper, charred wood, and brighter red pepper notes after it sits for a spell. I expect some drinkers may find the slightly smoky nose to be a little too in-your-face, almost pungent with overtones of charred rosemary and torched coconut husk, but I felt it balances on this savory cliff quite well.

The palate finds the fruit this whiskey needs to keep itself upright, a mix of cherry, raisin, and tangerine that initially sets a lively, orchard-adjacent tone. The whiskey quickly warms and leans into all those spices, with aggressive tea leaf and ample notes of cloves dominating. Brown sugar, coming across like it’s still crystallized at times, keeps the level of sweetness fairly high, while the finish reprises those big black tea notes, complementing the sugar. This is a massive whiskey that’s a delight on its own, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend it strongly as the basis for an outstanding old fashioned.

129.1 proof.

A- / $100 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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