| Whiskey | Booker’s The Reserves (2025 Release) |
| Distillery | Jim Beam |
| Region | Clermont, Kentucky |
| Type | Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 123.3 Proof / 61.65% ABV |
| Aging | 8 Years 10 months 11 days Finished in 85th Anniversary El Tesoro Tequila Barrels |
| Filtration | Non-Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $130 |
| Release Year | 2025 |
My History with Booker's Bourbon and El Tesoro Tequila
I have always been fan of Booker’s Bourbon and El Tesoro Tequila.
This particular Booker’s The Reserves is a collaboration with Carlos Camerena from El Tesoro Tequila Distillery.
After aging the bourbon in barrels for 8 years 10 months and 11 days, the whiskey was sent to the El Tesoro La Alteña distillery to be aged in barrel previously holding El Tesoro 85th Anniversary Tequila.
I have been lucky enough to experience special events at both distilleries and meet the men behind the spirits.
Two years ago, I took a trip to Kentucky with my dad and we visited whiskey distilleries across the state – including the Jim Beam Distillery.
We started by touring the Jim Beam distillery and were able to bottle our own bottle of Knob Creek which was quite cool (I got to taste it straight from the barrel because it was my birthday).
But even better than that was the tasting we scheduled turned out to be a special tasting for the Clermont Steep launch of Jim Beam’s first American Single Malt.
And the tasting would be hosted by Fred Noe and Freddie Noe themselves!
It was a group of about 8 of us in the room with Fred and Freddie sharing their history and giving us behind the scenes insight into why they love making whiskey and the impressive style of testing and experimentation they put into each batch.
We even got to taste Freddie’s experimental batch of whiskey made with brown rice – which was surprisingly quite tasty.
Fred and Freddie Noe were extremely nice and friendly.
They took the time to hang out for 30-45 minutes after the tasting to answer questions and spend some 1-on-1 time with each of us and I was very grateful for the opportunity to learn from them.
About 6 months later, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a special distillery tour and tasting at the El Tesoro Tequila Distillery in Jalisco, Mexico.
To my surprise, we got to spend an entire day at the distillery and spend time with Carlos Camerena and his family for a tour which included chopping our own agave followed by a dinner with a taste of their new El Tesoro tequila finished in Knob Creek Barrels, and take part in a barrel selection.
It was an incredible experience and I learned so much about how tequila is made.
Carlos and Jenny Camarena were amazing hosts and spent the entire day with us.
They taught us how they create their tequila, why they continue the family tradition of 100% additive free tequila, and allowed us to participate in every stage of producing tequila – from cutting our own agave to tasting the product of using a stone mill to break the agave fibers, fermentation, and the final tasting.
I share all of this in this review to highlight the amount of effort that goes into both of these wonderful spirits and how much I am excited to review this bottle of whiskey for you.
Two of my favorite distilleries working together to create unique and exceptional products that push the boundaries of each spirit.
So now, let’s jump into the review!
Booker’s The Reserves Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Golden Honey
Nose: Caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, charred oak, light fruits, light earthy and vegetal notes, hints of floral, peanut, leather, tobacco, clove, baking spice, rye spice, black pepper
Palate: Extremely rich caramel, vanilla, heavy charred oak, oaky tannic spice, light fruits, citrus, a subtle sweetness behind the spice, cinnamon spice, rye spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, light earthiness and vegetal notes
Finish: Heavy rich finish that immediately starts drying out your mouth the moment the whiskey hits your taste buds – leaves you with a sweet caramel and vanilla backed up by heavy oaky tannic spice, rye spice, and light fruits
Is Booker’s The Reserves an Approachable Whiskey?
Booker’s The Reserves is a heavy hitting whiskey sitting at 123.3 proof and jam-packed full of flavors.
The tequila finish certainly adds a bit of agave sweetness and a bit of earthiness, but this whiskey still packs quite a punch.
Is Booker’s The Reserves Complex?
Booker’s The Reserves has a lot of layers of complexity and depth of flavor.
The nose offers all your traditional bourbon flavors like rich caramel, vanilla, charred oak, and some rye spice while the tequila adds a note of agave and light earthiness and vegetal notes.
On the palate, you are hit with all your favorite Booker’s flavors like caramel, vanilla, oak, rye spice, leather, tobacco with a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of peanut.
The next layer of flavor offers a bit more of an earthy, terroir, and spice flavor profile that really highlights the barrel flavors.
Compared to other Booker’s bottles, the agave from the El Tesoro 85th Anniversary Tequila Barrels adds a nice smoothness and helps round out the flavor profile to really balance this pour.
The finish is spectacular is one of the nicer finishes I’ve had on a whiskey in a while.
It’s rich, creamy, and dries your mouth like a fine wine.
What are Booker’s The Reserves’s strongest attributes/flavors?
My favorite part of this pour is the remarkable finish.
After experiencing the deep flavor profile of the whiskey, you are left with a fulfilling long finish that dries your palate the moment the whiskey hits your mouth.
The whiskey is 123.3 proof and while it drinks much smoother than you would expect, the finish lives up to the proof point.
It’s a delight to drink and even better to savor the finish on each sip.
Is Booker’s The Reserves a go-to whiskey?
Booker’s The Reserve is a special release that comes out once per year so this 2025 bottle is unique and pretty limited.
While I could easily drink this bottle down, I will likely reserve this bottle for special occasions and to share with friends who can appreciate a good uncut and unfiltered bourbon finished in exceptional tequila barrels.
Is Booker’s The Reserves priced accurately to its quality?
Booker’s The Reserves 2025 costs $130 MSRP and I think that is a great price for this bottle.
Your standard Booker’s Bourbon sells for $99 and I do think this bottle adds a nice touch of uniqueness that warrants the additional cost.
It’s not often you get to taste a well-aged bourbon finished in tequila barrels, let alone El Tesoro’s 85th Anniversary Tequila.
Conclusion for Booker’s The Reserves
Booker’s The Reserves 2025 special release is a very unique bottle.
I have a personal fondness for both of the distilleries involved in the collaboration so I am very excited that I was able to find this bottle in my home state of Pennsylvania (they can be hard to find here).
I’ve tasted and reviewed every Booker’s bourbon since I first found them in 2020 on my first trip to Kentucky and El Tesoro Tequila has been my favorite tequila brand for many years now.
I’m so glad the two distilleries partnered up for this bottle.
If you see it on the shelf, definitely buy it and give it a shot.
And on the flip side, El Tesoro recently released the El Tesoro Mundial Collection where they finished their tequila in Basil Hayden Toasted Barrels and it is excellent.
So if you have a chance to buy that one, I highly recommend it.
Overall, this is a delicious whiskey that adds a nice twist to the standard Booker’s Bourbon.
If you’re a fan of high-proof bourbon with a twist, this is definitely one your should try.
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