Booker's Bourbon / Batch 2024-04
The Stats
- Distillery: Jim Beam
- Location: Clermont, KY
- Type: Straight Bourbon
- Age: 7 Years, 9 Months, 19 Days
- Proof: 125.8 (62.9% ALC/VOL)
- Mash Bill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
- Release: December 2024
- Price: $100
Booker’s Bourbon has built its legacy on bold, uncut, and unfiltered whiskey, each batch personally selected by Master Distiller Freddy Noe. Every release aims to capture a moment, a story, or a piece of bourbon heritage — and the 2024-04 release is no exception.
A Tribute in a Bottle
Jimmy’s Batch honors one of the most respected figures in the whiskey world: Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey. For decades, Jimmy and the late Booker Noe were more than colleagues; they were close friends who shared countless conversations about bourbon-making, family, and tradition. This release celebrates that bond between the Noe and Russell families, making it as much a piece of bourbon history as it is a pour in your glass.
Released in late 2024, Jimmy’s Batch comes in at nearly eight years old and 125.8 proof, with barrels pulled from four different warehouses. While Booker’s is known for power and intensity, this batch offers a striking balance — showing that barrel proof doesn’t have to mean palate fatigue.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
Vanilla leads the way — rich, creamy, and joined by brown sugar and soft peanut. Think creamy peanut butter whisked with vanilla extract, spread on warm bread. Gentle for the proof, with sweet oak rounding out the edges.
Palate
Bold yet approachable for cask strength. Layers of baking spice, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and salted caramel flow across the tongue. Peanut reappears, joined by subtle dark fruit and a whisper of charred oak. Sweet without being cloying, rich without overwhelming.
Finish
Milk chocolate deepens on the finish, with lingering warmth that feels like both a Kentucky hug and dessert. Long, balanced, and satisfying — it eases out rather than vanishing quickly.
Artfully Bourbon Rating
9 / 10 - EXCELLENT
Jimmy’s Batch captures both flavor and feeling — honoring the legacy of two families who helped define what bourbon is today. It’s the kind of release that’s special even before you pour it, but once you do, the whiskey itself more than lives up to the tribute.
We wouldn’t hand it to a first-time bourbon drinker, but for anyone who loves barrel-proof whiskey, this one’s worth savoring and sharing.
A beautifully balanced high-proof bourbon with sentiment and substance. The best Booker’s we’ve had in quite some time.
