We Tried Jim Beam's $250 Lineage Batch #2 Bourbon To See If It's Worth The Price

Jim Beam is one of the best-selling bourbons in America. Generations of whiskey fans have enjoyed the historic Kentucky bourbon's sweet honey flavors over the years, including Sean Connery, Mila Kunis, and singer Barns Courtney. Still, the whiskey isn't the only favorite spirit of celebrities. My grandmother was one of the brand's biggest fans, sipping a Beam and Coke nightly.

In addition to its core expressions, such as grandma's favorite White Label Jim Beam, the company also specializes in premium, small-batch selections. In mid-2025, Jim Beam announced the release of Lineage Batch #2, a small-batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey from seventh and eighth generation Jim Beam family members, Fred and Freddie Noe. Frederick Booker Noe was a sixth-generation Beam family member. He believed in the importance of crafting small-batch bourbons as it ensured consistency in the products. 

Booker Noe is credited with the creation of Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, and Baker's small-batch bourbons. His son and grandson are following in his footsteps with Lineage. Batch #2 is Jim Beam's second Lineage offering. Jim Beam released the first Lineage in late 2020. I acquired a sample from the distillery of the newly released, premium Batch #2 bourbon to see if it is worth adding to your bar cart. As a Certified Sommelier and long-time bourbon fan, I utilized my training and spirits expertise to assess its quality and character.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Jim Beam's limited-production Lineage Batch #2 is a small-batch bourbon from hand-selected barrels by Master Distillers Fred Noe and Freddie Noe. Although they have been working together for over a decade, Lineage marks the first time both father and son's names have adorned a Jim Beam bottle.

It is apropos that the seventh and eighth generation family distillers would follow in Booker Noe's small-batch footsteps. The product's inception celebrates the long history of Jim Beam as a family-run business. Jim Beam did not detail the mashbill. However, for liquor to legally qualify as a bourbon, it must contain a minimum of 51% corn. The previous Lineage release included a mashbill of 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley.

Lineage Batch #2 ages for a minimum of 15 years in charred, white oak barrels predominantly from Jim Beam's Booker Noe Distillery in Boston, Kentucky, with a select few from the main Clermont distillery and campus. Although the Boston campus is not far from Clermont, it does have a slightly different microclimate, which can affect how the whiskey ages and the flavors it extracts from the barrels. The more contact the whiskey has with the barrel, the more it will take on the oaky flavors. The Boston rickhouses have warm temperatures and lots of sunshine, which helps the liquid penetrate the oak quickly. The maturation creates a full-bodied, full-flavored spirit. Lineage Batch #2 has an alcohol by volume content of 55.5%.

Premium whiskey is pricey, particularly products that age in new oak barrels for an extended period. Jim Beam's limited release Lineage Batch #2 selections are available with a suggested retail price of $250 for a 700-milliliter bottle. The bottle is unquestionably expensive. However, the cost is a fraction of some other 15-year-old bourbon expressions, such as those from Old Fitzgerald, Pappy Van Winkle, and Russell's Reserve. 

The bottle presentation is lovely. Lineage comes in an engraved glass bottle with the Jim Beam seal. It comes in a wooden box with a refined, classy, easy-to-open wooden screw cap. Each bottle includes the batch number and bottle number. The bottle is slightly smaller than the typical 750-milliliter bottles of liquor, as the bourbon was initially only for sale to international travelers.

Unlike the first limited-release Lineage Batch #1 bourbon, which was available as a global travel retail exclusive, Jim Beam's Lineage Batch #2 bourbon became exclusively available at The James B. Beam Distilling Co. distillery and campus in Clermont, Kentucky, as of July 2025. If you need more of an excuse to visit the distillery beyond picking up a bottle of the exclusive release, join the distillery on August 23, 2025, for Jim Beam Day, celebrating the birthday of the company's founder.

The Lineage Batch #2 sample had a crystal-clear, deep amber color, indicating the spirit should likely have rich caramel and nutty toffee flavors from years of aging in the charred oak barrels. The sweet aromas signaled this as well, smelling like brown sugar, raisins, toasted spice, and vanilla.

Tasting the whiskey, the first notes were of dominant toasted oak. The 111 proof whiskey's high alcohol bite was also present, needing a bit of oxygen to let the bourbon breathe. A swirl of the glass to aerate revealed the classic vanilla and caramel Jim Beam notes commingled with warm baking spice, shortbread, and dried fruits. 

As tasty as the initial flavors were, unfortunately, they changed after I left the dram of bourbon on my counter for 30 to 45 minutes. I do this practice with every red wine or spirit tasting I conduct, as the ethanol bite will soften when exposed to oxygen, allowing the liquor's subtle nuances to come through. However, a different result occurred with Lineage Batch #2. The liquor went from crystal-clear to hazy and murky, while losing its aromatic charm. Bourbon can become cloudy with the addition of ice or water to non-chill filtered whiskey in a process known as flocculation. This generally only happens in bourbon below 46% alcohol by volume. However, I added neither to the sample. And, the spirit's ABV is above the floc point. The flavors shouldn't change when flocculation occurs. Unfortunately, Lineage's flavor became weirdly acrid, bitter, and undrinkable.

Based on my experience with Lineage Batch #2, the best way to drink the premium bourbon is fast. A Jim Beam bourbon and Coke is one of the most classic two-ingredient cocktails. However, with a spirit of this pedigree, history, and age, it is best not to mix Jim Beam Lineage Batch #2 with sweet, sugary cola. Instead, enjoy it neat, without other liquors or mixers. A splash of water or a single, large ice sphere is appropriate if the 111-proof, straight whiskey is too strong for your taste.

While the traditional Glencairn glass is suitable for drinking whiskey neat while evaluating the product, I prefer a rocks or tumbler-style glass for enjoying the whiskey. I believe it is the best glass for sipping bourbon, particularly a well-aged whiskey. The Glencairn's tulip shape allows for you to easily swirl the bourbon to release the aromas while helping the hot alcoholic taste dissipate. Its narrow top concentrates these aromas, aiding in the evaluation. However, the approachable style of the rocks glass, with its wide rim and thick base, feels good in your hand and is suitable for drinking the whiskey neat or with ice.

For collectors, Jim Beam Lineage Batch #2 may be very appealing because it is the first bottle to include Freddie Noe's name along with his father's. Although Freddie Noe's signature is on the Little Book series of bourbons, Lineage marks a first for the Master Distillers. The price is the same at the inaugural bottling. Today, bottles of that Lineage average $339 on the secondary market, with some retailers charging $769 for the bottle.

If you are buying Lineage Batch #1 to drink rather than to collect, the initial tastes were delicious. Although the taste was strong with the alcoholic bite, the full-bodied flavors were tasty, and the silky texture coated the palate nicely. However, after conducting the same test several days in a row, leaving a glass of the provided sample on my counter for a short period, and watching it become cloudy and bitter tasting, I would skip this selection. 

Of course, the sample may have been flawed. However, based on my experience with this product, I would not spend $250 on the bottle. That is, unless you drink your whiskey fast. However, with a bourbon of this caliber, the hope is that it can be slowly sipped and savored. The loss of aroma, texture, and most importantly, flavor made this well-aged selection a disappointing miss. I suggest trying another option in the sea of highly aged, high-quality bourbons available on the market today, several from Jim Beam's sister brands.

The main driver in deciding whether or not to buy a bottle of Lineage Batch #2 was the taste test. I did consider the pedigree and provenance of the limited-release, rare selection. However, the determining factors were the bourbon's texture, aroma, and taste, particularly how the bourbon fared after I allowed it to aerate. The way it changed when exposed to oxygen made the bourbon undrinkable, and thus not worth the price. I utilized my training and expertise as a Certified Sommelier and whiskey lover to assist in making my determination.