Booker’s The Reserves 2025

Classification: Straight Bourbon finished in Tequila Barrels
Distillery: Jim Beam
Mashbill: 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Age: 8 Years, 10 Months
Proof: 123.3

Saddle up, amigos. Booker’s The Reserves 2025 just rode back into Kentucky wearing a sombrero and dusty boots.

First things first — this ain’t your everyday Booker’s. For the first time ever, they finished it with barrels that took a full passport tour: they started as bourbon barrels, where they aged Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon. They were then shipped to Jalisco, Mexico, and used to age El Tesoro Tequila’s 85th Anniversary release and finally, the barrels were returned to Kentucky to use for this year’s The Reserves batch, which underwent 11 weeks of finishing in these barrels.

 The Nose: Brown sugar and cinnamon ride in smooth. Then—¡olé!—eucalyptus, agave, and fresh mint tip their hats. Vanilla and tobacco hang back like old ranch hands. It’s earthy, but polite about it.

The Palate: Caramel kicks open the saloon doors, rye spice close behind. Then a light citrus twirl—grapefruit, thyme, agave—nothing wild, just enough to remind you this bourbon spent spring break in Mexico.

The Finish: Dry seasoned oak, black pepper, rye spice. A flash of dark fruit… and then it rides off quick. Leaves behind a dusty trail of spicy cinnamon and oak.

Overall: This bourbon doesn’t fully mariachi—it two-steps. The tequila influence is there, but it behaves itself. Freddie Noe didn’t turn Booker’s into a margarita; he just let it borrow a little agave swagger. Giddy Up!