Freddie Noe unveils the second annual release of The Reserves, featuring a well-traveled tequila barrel finish.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. and Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller, have announced the release of Booker’s The Reserves 2025. This marks the second release in the annual limited-edition series, created to celebrate the legacy of 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe. The series debuted in 2024 as the first new innovation from Booker’s Bourbon since the brand’s 30th Anniversary release.
A Journey Across Barrels
The 2025 batch carries a unique story of well-traveled barrels. Initially used to age Booker’s 30th Anniversary bourbon, the casks were later sent to Jalisco, Mexico, where the Camarena family filled them with El Tesoro’s 85th Anniversary tequila. Once emptied, the agave-seasoned barrels returned to Clermont, Kentucky, where Freddie Noe finished a hand-selected batch of Booker’s inside them. This marks the first time across the entire Beam portfolio that a bourbon has been finished in tequila barrels.
Proof, Age, and Tasting Notes
Booker’s The Reserves 2025 is bottled uncut and unfiltered at 123.3 proof, aged exactly eight years, ten months, and eleven days. According to the brand, the whiskey opens with aromas of caramel, vanilla, and a hint of agave, followed by flavors of rich caramel, charred oak, and baking spice. The finish is described as complex, with lingering notes of agave and black pepper.
Pricing and Availability
This release is now available at a suggested retail price of $129.99. As with all Booker’s releases, it is extremely limited in quantity, making it a collectible for bourbon enthusiasts.
Remarks from Freddie Noe
“Welcome to the second batch of The Reserves: a celebration of my Granddaddy Booker’s legacy. In many ways, it’s the same Booker’s you know and love. Always uncut and unfiltered. But in other ways, The Reserves is something new, inspired by my granddaddy’s boundless curiosity and relentless pursuit of flavor.”
“His creativity showed me how much more is possible with the whiskey we all know and love. I’m proud to carry his spirit forward and hope each release gives you a new appreciation for flavor, just as Booker intended.”
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