Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 94 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 62.95% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $129.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-10-08 |
Booker's Bourbon ‘The Reserves’ (2024) Review
For nearly 40 years, Booker’s has built a following among bourbon fans as an uncut, unfiltered, and bold expression of Kentucky bourbon. (In fact, it’s often cited as the whiskey that launched the term “small batch.”) In recent memory, it’s become a reliable release from the Jim Beam portfolio, and new batches roll out four times per year — with a few additional limited expressions used to denote brand anniversaries.
Now, the lineup is getting a permanent, annual, highly limited release to go along with its quarterly expressions. Dubbed “The Reserves,” this once-per-year Booker’s is a blend of older bourbon, which in 2024 ranges from 8 to 14 years old. (Normal modern Booker’s releases generally come with age statements between 6.5 and 8.5 years, and most if not all of the whiskey included is usually within that age range.)
The inaugural Booker’s “The Reserves” blend is comprised of barrels (in unspecified quantities) across the following ages and Beam warehouse locations:
- 8 Years, 2 Months, 12 Days on the 4th floor of warehouse G
- 8 Years, 5 Months, 19 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse I
- 8 Years, 5 Months, 20 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse Z
- 9 Years, 2 Months, 3 Days on the 5th floor of warehouse Q
- 9 Years, 2 Months, 4 Days on the 6th floor of warehouse J
- 9 Years, 5 Months, 18 Days on the 7th floor of warehouse H
- 10 Years, 3 Months, 2 Days on the 4th floor of warehouse X
- 14 Years, 4 Months, 16 Days on the 6th floor of warehouse I
This year’s batch is bottled at 125.9 proof, fairly in line with the range we’ve come to expect from Booker’s. The release features a smaller batch than the regular Booker’s Bourbon bottlings, though the brand hasn’t given an exact bottle count.
Let’s see how the newest addition to the Booker’s family stacks up!
Booker's Bourbon "The Reserves": Stats and Availability
Booker’s “The Reserves” is a limited, annual release with a suggested retail price of $130, which is $30 up from the base Booker’s expressions. Though the brand hasn’t given an exact bottle count, we’re told it will be released in smaller quantities than other regular expressions in the lineup. Fortunately for those looking to grab a bottle, like most Beam products, it will be a nationwide release starting right at launch. I’m already seeing it go for a bit above $200 at some retail outlets and on the secondary market, though as of this writing, prices seem to be steady and perhaps even dropping closer to MSRP.
Booker's Bourbon "The Reserves" Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
The most captivating parts of tasting any Booker’s are usually the subtle (or, frankly, not so subtle) differences between releases, even within a calendar year. But there are definitely some common components, including a bold, smoky, nutty nose; nosing them is often an exercise in finding specific aromas amidst a heavy ethanol kick.
The Reserves starts off with some of those classic elements: dark caramel, burnt brown sugar, buttered cinnamon sugar toast, and a tiny wisp of damp campfire embers. Dried apricot and baked apple form a fruity backbone, along with more tart cherry than I’ve encountered on any recent Booker’s release.
And the brown sugar/caramel never really lets up, with almost every smell wrapped within a sweet, sugary note that evolves gradually into melted vanilla ice cream and barrel char.
What strikes me most, though, is the whiskey’s relative restraint on the nose. This noses far below its 125.9 proof, and the subtleties of those very sweet elements have a lot of room to play before alcohol begins accumulating in the nostrils. It smells an awful lot like an empty bourbon barrel long after any residual alcohol has evaporated away. What’s left is an array of scents that evoke Booker’s, but a bit more buttoned up for polite company.
Taste
As with the nose, the very first sip is more balanced, sweet, nuanced, and restrained than most Booker’s. But that shifts dramatically on the midpalate, the full 125+ proof hitting hot and heavy. (Given my history of tasting lots and lots of Booker’s releases, that kick is almost a relief.)
Red hot cinnamon candy quickly gives way to vanilla sugar cookies. Up next is spiced gingerbread and dark leather, which start on the middle of the tongue and take a long journey to the back of the palate.
Classic Beam nuttiness — some might say peanut butter, master distiller Freddie Noe might say hazelnut — hits on subsequent sips, in this case paired with black walnut for a darker, unctuous composition. A thick mouthfeel doesn’t teeter too far into syrupy territory, which also helps keep the strong oak flavors from feeling too tannic sitting across the tongue.
I search for the fruit I detected on the nose and find it via light cherry syrup and the semi-tart flavor of grenadine. But like its brethren in the line, The Reserves is far bigger on vanilla, caramel, oak, and nuts than specific fruits.
It’s always tough to call Booker’s “balanced” when compared to other bourbons, as it’s a whiskey beloved for conveying some over-the-top Kentucky bourbon flavors. But it’s walking a hallmark line quite well. The addition of older bourbon has added depth without straying too far from the brand’s known quantities — and fortunately for long-time Booker’s fans, all with enough punch to earn its label.
Finish
Long, with both sweet and semi-dry elements, Booker’s “The Reserves” leans back into baked and caramel-drizzled apple on the finish. Cinnamon, clove, and allspice linger, along with honey-sweetened black tea, as if to remind us of the age range and oaky base. It’s woody (perhaps just a touch heavier than it needs to be), warm, spicy, and altogether composed enough that I’m not immediately reaching for a water dropper. It’ll be fun revisiting this next to a cold-weather campfire.
Booker's Bourbon "The Reserves" Rating
94/100
Recap
Booker’s “The Reserves” is really good whiskey and a worthy inheritor of the brand name. I didn't find this inaugural release to stand head and shoulders above some of the better recent Booker’s releases. In fact, I’m giving it the same score as 2023’s “Springfield Batch.” But I was far from disappointed, and it’s great to see one of the most famous sub-brands in bourbon branch into new (and older) territory. I’m already looking forward to a head-to-head with 2025’s batch.
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