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Booker’s Milkshake Batch Bourbon Review

Named after Booker Noe's boozy chocolate malted milkshakes, is Batch 2026-02 too confrontational at 124.4 proof, or a perfect introduction to bold bourbon?

OVERALL RATING

7
$99.99
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Beam Suntory has released Booker’s Batch 2026-02 “Milkshake Batch,” the second installment in the brand’s 2026 collection of uncut, unfiltered small-batch bourbon. The expression, bottled at 124.4 proof and aged 7 years, 6 months, and 12 days. The batch draws its name from a beloved family tradition started by the late Booker Noe, the legendary sixth-generation master distiller of Jim Beam. Noe was known for mixing bourbon into homemade chocolate malted milkshakes, a ritual that became a centerpiece of family gatherings.

Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller, shared the personal story behind the name. “When I was young, Dad and I spent many an afternoon out fishing at a nearby lake,” Noe said. “We’d pull up to an ice cream dip and order ourselves two chocolate malted milkshakes – a reward for our hard work. One day, Dad tried out mixing some Jim Beam into his own shake, and a tradition was born,” Noe added. “By the time Freddie came along, Dad figured out how to make them from scratch.”

According to the brand, the “Milkshake Batch” is composed of barrels drawn from four production dates stored across four different warehouses. The breakdown includes 32% from the fifth floor of Warehouse G at Waterfall, 26% from the fifth floor of Warehouse 3, 23% from the third floor of Warehouse L, and 19% from the third floor of Warehouse M. All four are seven-story rickhouses.
Appearance:
Nice clear tawny color with quick thin legs which don’t hold on the glass. Tasted neat in Glencairn.
Nose:
Cherries pop to begin the profile before opening into softer fruits like apples, and orange peel. Aged oak, vanilla, with a little staw and cinnamon across the nose.
Palate:
It’s a dry palate with good full-bodied complexity. Sweet to start before adding a good bite across the tongue. Charcoal with oak, clove, small pops of pepper, and dark cigar wrapper. A current of chewy toffee pokes through periodically softening the earthier profile.
Finish:
The finish relents some of the strong earth notes to vanillas and sweet sugars before dropping back into the earth tones of bitter chocolate and cigar smoke.
Comments:
This is another classic Booker’s bourbon. Dark and almost broody with the earth and oak notes throughout. As a fan of Booker’s I enjoyed this one but can appreciate the bold flavors and higher alochol content could be a bit confrontational for many drinkers. If you’re a fan of this release you know what you’re in for and I think you’ll genuinely enjoy it.

It is a great gift because it will pair well with a cigar/pipe, and a warm patio. It’s a nice whiskey, a good bourbon, and a great introduction to the higher proofed whiskey of the world.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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