Booker's The Reserves 2026 is at Del Mesa Liquor — and it might be the most interesting bottle Beam has released in a decade. It is only the second rye Booker's has ever made, it is finished in French apple brandy casks with cinnamon steeped into the blend, and it is bottled uncut at 125.1 proof. We have one bottle. Here is the whole story.
A wassail, rebuilt as a rye
Booker Noe — the sixth-generation master distiller who created Booker's, Baker's, Basil Hayden's and Knob Creek — had a winter ritual: a spiced apple wine he called A.B.C. Wassail, for apples, bourbon barrels and cinnamon. His grandson Freddie Noe, Beam's eighth-generation master distiller, rebuilt that recipe as a whiskey for The Reserves 2026: a Kentucky straight rye from the original Booker's rye mash bill, finished in French apple brandy casks, with real cinnamon sticks steeped into the blend before bottling.
The specs
- Style: Kentucky straight rye whiskey, apple brandy cask finished, cinnamon infused
- Age: 6 years, 2 months, 23 days
- Proof: 125.1 (62.55% ABV) — uncut and unfiltered, as every Booker's is
- Distillery: James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, Kentucky
- Tasting notes: bright apple and seasoned oak on the nose; barrel char, vanilla and caramel through the palate; a finish that lands like warm apple pie
Booker's The Reserves 6 Year Old Rye Whiskey 2026 — $299.99, one bottle in stock, presented in the signature Booker's wooden case.
Why rye collectors care
Before this, Booker's had released exactly one rye: the 2016 "Big Time Batch," a 13-year-old barrel-proof rye that became one of the most sought-after modern Beam whiskeys. Remarkably, that bottle is also on our shelf — Booker's Limited Edition 13 Year Old Rye 'Big Time Batch' at $2,499.99 — so the 2016 original and its 2026 successor can be bought in the same order, something few stores in the country can offer.
Frequently asked questions
Is Booker's The Reserves 2026 a bourbon?
No — it is a Kentucky straight rye whiskey, only the second rye in Booker's history, finished in apple brandy barrels and infused with cinnamon.
How many bottles does Del Mesa have?
One. The Reserves is a limited annual release and our allocation was a single bottle, in stock now at $299.99. It also headlines our rare bourbon shelf roundup.
What does the apple brandy finish taste like?
Baked apple and warm spice layered over classic barrel-proof rye character — char, vanilla and caramel — with a long, pie-like finish from the cinnamon.
Find it in the Rare & Top Shelf collection at Del Mesa Liquor — available to order online while the bottle lasts — see our Shipping & Return Policy page for how orders ship.