James B. Beam Distilling Co. announced the first Booker’s Bourbon Batch of 2026, inspired by one of Booker Noe’s favorite cities: New Orleans – aka The Big Easy.

This Batch comprises five separate production dates and were stored in five different storage warehouses. The age is 7 years, 2 months and 15 days and bottled at a bold 129.1 proof, with an MSRP of $99.99. The result is a bourbon that’s big and unmistakably Booker’s.

Here is the breakdown:  

• 16% was stored on the third floor of warehouse H, a nine-story house
• 24% was stored on the sixth floor of warehouse G, a nine-story house
• 16% was stored on the fifth floor of warehouse O, a seven-story house
• 22% was stored on the third floor of warehouse J, a nine-story house
• 22% was stored on the fourth floor of warehouse M, a seven-story house

“For a guy who lived in Kentucky, Dad sure found himself in the Big Easy plenty,” Fred Noe, 7^th Generation Master Distiller, said in a news release. “He made his first trips down there as a youngman, friends like Billy Roby by his side, the two of them eating and drinking their way around town. Some time after that, he and Mom visited on their honeymoon. 

“In later years, they’d always point out the bar where they shared a drink as newlyweds. The place seemed to love him back too, during one visit they even changed the name of Bourbon Street to Jim Beam Bourbon Street for a day.”

Noe continued, “But it was the flavors of New Orleans that really held a special place in Dad’s heart. He couldn’t get enough if its food – a fresh oyster here, a bowl of jambalaya there. But you wouldn’t find his favorite dish on the menus of the fancy restaurants, no, it was the Lucky Dog street cart that caught his eye and stole his heart.”

Noe said he recalls watching Bourbon Street’s famous barrel races from the balcony of a French Quarter hotel when Booker spotted the cart below. 

“He sent me to get us some – and boy, you’d have thought it was the best damn bite he’d ever had. His love for those dogs became legendary in the city, living on even after he passed – in fact, when Freddie and I last went, a five-star restaurant served us up some on a silver platter.”

Read more: Beam Releases Booker’s Bourbon ‘Jerry’s Batch’

About Booker’s Bourbon

Booker’s Bourbon was inspired by a 200-year-old family tradition and came to life when Booker Noe selected the first bottles of Booker’s as holiday gifts for his friends and family. With its instant popularity within Noe’s close circle, Booker’s Bourbon was soon after bottled and made available on shelves for everyone to enjoy. Booker’s Bourbon is one of the only bourbons bottled straight-from-the-barrel at its natural proof, which varies from batch to batch. It is crafted in small batches and aged for six to eight years in charred oak barrels, which are stored in the center of the rack house. For more information, visit https://www.bookersbourbon.com/.