The James B. Beam Distilling Co. may have shut down one of its main distilleries for the year, but that doesn’t mean the home of Jim Beam is going to stop putting out new bourbon any time soon. On the contrary, the distillery just announced the release of Big Easy, the first batch of its barrel-proof Booker’s line of 2026. We got an early taste of this whiskey that is said to be inspired by the late master distiller Booker Noe’s love of New Orleans, and it’s a great way to kick things off for the year.

If you’re unfamiliar with Booker’s, this bourbon is part of the the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, along with Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, and Baker’s. Booker’s stands out as being the uncut, unfiltered member of this family, a whiskey created by Booker Noe in the late 1980s as a gift for his family and friends. It’s released in four batches per year (usually), and while the details vary they generally fall within certain parameters: 6 to 8 years old, and between 120 and 130 proof. The exact stats for Big Easy are that it was aged for seven years, two months, and 15 days, putting it right in the sweet spot of Booker’s ideal bourbon age range; and it’s bottled at 129.1 proof, which is on the higher end of the spectrum for the brand but still well short of hazmat. If you want to get even more in the weeds, the Booker’s website lists exactly where the barrels used for this batch were aged by warehouse, floor, and percentage used in the blend (the details are not live yet, but should be soon).

Each Booker’s batch has a different name and story behind it, and to be honest it’s really just a marketing device. But that’s fine, because it’s not like you can taste New Orleans in this bourbon, just like you couldn’t taste the “Phantom Pipes” in the last batch of 2025 (that’s probably a good thing). The point is to relay an anecdote or a bit of history about the brand and Booker Noe himself, and his son and current master distiller Fred Noe says this release is all about his dad’s fondness for New Orleans and its food—and one hot dog cart in particular.

“We were watching Bourbon Street’s famous barrel races from the balcony of our French Quarter hotel when he spotted that cart rolling down below,” he wrote in a statement. “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 [Fred’s son and eighth generation master distiller] Freddie and I last went, a five-star restaurant served us up some on a silver platter.”

The price of Booker’s has crept up over the years, and this release is listed at $100 per bottle. But if you’re a Booker’s fan, you won’t be disappointed. We got to sample Big Easy, and despite the higher proof there’s a delicacy to the palate. Those classic Jim Beam peanut notes are still there, along with flavors like vanilla, maple, butterscotch, honey, dark chocolate, black pepper, and dried fruit. In other words, this is classic barrel-proof bourbon, which is exactly what you’re looking for when you decide to drink Booker’s. Big Easy is just rolling out nationally now, so check your local liquor stores in the coming weeks to find a bottle.