Booker’s The Reserves Review
In-Depth Review
Booker’s has been taking some heat lately. For years, it was a shelf staple for those looking for some serious octane from their bourbon but after some serious recent price hikes, Booker’s is no longer the $70 bottle it used to be. Now regularly found around $100, it has some pretty big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, many believe the recent Booker’s releases haven’t lived up to the hype.
Enter Booker’s The Reserves – the first addition to the Booker’s line in years and an opportunity for the brand to rekindle some of that Booker’s love. As Freddie Noe describes it:
“I created ‘The Reserves’ series to commemorate my grandaddy Booker,” shared Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. “Liquid like this can take a while to find, but when I do, it feels like the Big Man himself picked them out. It’s just the kind of Bourbon I believe my grandaddy would be making if he were still alive with us now.”
The Reserves has been made from an extremely limited batch of older barrels ranging from 8 – 14 years. It still boasts its signature high proof – coming in at 125.9 proof and remains uncut and unfiltered. With an MSRP of $130, it is a step up from the normal Booker’s but with the latest Little Book Infinite costing $200, let’s see if there’s some serious value to be found!
Age: Includes 8 year, 9 year, 10 year and 14 year whiskies
ABV: 62.95%
Cask: New oak
MSRP: $130
Distillery Name: Jim Beam
Review Date: 9/23/24
Color: Burnt Caramel
Nose: On first whiff, The Reserves lets you know that this isn’t your typical Booker’s experience. This feels much richer, darker, and more robust than the last few installments in the lineup. Full of caramel popcorn, antique wood, vanilla bean, lots of oak, and a touch of dried red fruit, the nose can waver between a rich sweetness and an elegant umami note. After some time to settle in the glass, it smells like a freshly opened bucket of Trader Joes dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
Palate: Oh, that's good. The palate cranks up the classic Booker's flavors of peanut brittle, sweet, candied almond, and lots of oak and injects some beautiful dark roasted espresso cocoa nibs with lots of dark demerara sugar, leather, and tobacco leaf. As it settles, it blooms into French roast coffee, fresh chocolate, and rich barrel char. This is big, flavorful, and intense – just like any good Booker’s should be. But unlike some Booker’s, this feels older, and incredibly well balanced, with a good dollop of heat that reminds you of the power, but never overwhelms. It’s probably the closest thing we’ve gotten to the 30th Anniversary bottling (albeit a bit hotter) in years.
Finish: Long, warming finish that lingers with notes of tobacco, earthy leather, and lots of robust oak. But even with all that out, this never dries you out – leaving a nice balance of flavors that makes you quickly want to go back for more.
Final Thoughts: After reading this review, it’ll be no surprise that I really loved The Reserves. It’s probably the best Booker’s batch I’ve had since the 30th Anniversary bottling– and reminds me why I fell in love with the expression in the first place. And at $130, this is fantastic value, from a brand that hasn’t delivered much value in recent years. Normal Booker’s is retailing regularly for around $100 – and The Reserves more than justifies the $30 increase. It’s dark, rich, and brooding. Perhaps it’s because its older stock, or because they chose better barrels to make up for not releasing a 35th anniversary version, but whatever the reason – the Noe family has truly found a winner here.
