Review of 2025's Remus Babe Ruth Reserve Bourbon

 

George Herman Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, and played professional baseball for 22 seasons. He had several nicknames, including "The Bambino " and "The Sultan of Swat." But his most recognized was Babe.

 

Babe Ruth was a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and is best known as an outfielder for the New York Yankees. When the Red Sox traded him, it marked the beginning of an 86-year period known as "The Curse of the Bambino," referring to the time it took for the team to win another championship. When he played for the Yankees in 1927, he was part of Murderer’s Row, the elite six members of the Yankees, who hit 60 homers.

 

Photo credit: unknown, public domain

 

In his early years, Ruth was an orphan, or at least that’s what many thought, because he attended St. Mary’s Industrial School for Orphans. He was not a good kid; he was always in trouble, much of it criminally, and, at age 7, his parents decided they couldn’t handle him and sent him to the school, giving it full guardianship over him.

 

His first wife, Helen, was only 16 when they married. He was a philanderer, and they both adopted his illegitimate child in 1922. He and Helen soon parted ways, and she died in a mysterious house fire. It was neither the first of his troubles nor the last.

 

In 1936, Ruth was among the first five inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. He died 12 years later from cancer.

 

What does any of this have to do with whiskey? Well, Remus Bourbon has just launched its 2025 version of Remus Babe Ruth Reserve.

 

“We’re honored to pay homage to one of baseball’s icons with our latest collector’s release of Remus Babe Ruth Reserve. Our 2025 edition is masterfully crafted and is sure to give baseball fans and high-rye bourbon lovers a unique and memorable way to celebrate America’s pastime and its most legendary player.” - Ian Stirsman, Master Distiller of Ross & Squibb Distillery

 

Last year, I gave Remus Babe Ruth Reserve a Bar rating, and that was based solely on its $150.00 price tag. And, because I still have that Bourbon in my Whiskey Library, I want to explore how this year’s compares to the 2024 release.

 

The bottles are similar. The photo on the left is the 2025 retail package; the one on the right was from 2024.

 

There are 8399 bottles of Babe Ruth Reserve available. If that number seems strange, it coincides with one for each of his career at-bats. It is also made from three mashbills to commemorate his jersey number. Now, here’s the interesting thing about the mashbills: MGP advertises its available mashbills, and two of these are not listed on MGP's website. They also aren’t part of Lux Row Distiller’s mashbills.

 

The assumed answer is that these were custom mashbills, either for Babe Ruth Reserve or perhaps for a customer who, for whatever reason, did not take delivery of those barrels. Regardless, we have a Bourbon to explore.

 

Now, before I #DrinkCurious, I must thank Remus Bourbon for providing me with a sample of this year’s Babe Ruth Reserve in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Ross & Squibb Distillery/MGP
• Age: NAS (8 and 9 years)
• Mashbill: A blend of three MGP Bourbons:
• 2017: Undisclosed 49% rye mashbill (73% of the blend)
• 2016: Undisclosed 44% rye mashbill  (15% of the blend)
• 2017: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley (12% of the blend)
• Cooperage: 53-gallon, new charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 55.5% ABV (111°)
• Price per 750mL: $149.99

 

Appearance: I used separate Glencairn glasses for each and sampled them neat:  

2025: This year’s expression possessed an orangish-brown hue. A thicker rim discharged massive, crazed, fast tears.

2024: The older version was a slightly darker, caramel-brown color. It created a medium rim with thin, slow, straight tears.

 

Nose: I gave both Bourbons about ten minutes to rest before I approached them.

2025: The aroma included cinnamon, brown sugar, cocoa powder, milk chocolate, and figs. Inhaling the vapor and drawing it into my mouth brought a rich cinnamon flavor.

2024: There was a healthy dose of toffee, followed by brown sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and toasted oak. Taking the air through my lips offered tobacco leaves.

 

Palate: Now, it was time to do the actual sipping.

2025: The texture was oily and slick. I encountered flavors of cocoa nibs, creamy caramel, and English toffee on the front of my palate. Next came tobacco leaf, leather, and rye spice. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and charred marshmallows rounded things out on the back.

2024: There was a thick, weighty mouthfeel. The first flavors were vanilla, mint, and cocoa. I found brown sugar, spiced nuts, and shredded tobacco as it moved across my mid-palate. The back included rye spice, toasted oak, and chocolate.

 

Finish: What happened after I swallowed each?

2025: The current Remus Babe Ruth Reserve’s finish began muted and slowly ramped its intensity. The spices, particularly cinnamon, rye, and oak, took control from leather, charred marshmallows, and English toffee. It eventually fell off at 2:33, making it a very long duration.   

2024: The previous Remus Babe Ruth Reserve had a rollercoaster finish. It started boldly, mellowed, slowly climbed, fell, and trudged upward again. I timed it at 3:17 when it finally faded, allowing me to taste rye spice, cinnamon, caramel, toffee, tobacco, spiced nuts, and chocolate. 

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Interestingly, these identical mashbill Bourbons were more different from one another than alike. The different amounts could explain that: 2024 was 12% of 44% rye, 70% of 49% rye, and 18% of 36% rye.

 

Both were easy sippers. The creaminess from the 2024 seemed more captivating than the oiliness of the 2025. Yet, I enjoyed the latter’s palate and finish more of the 2024. Both drank at about or slightly lower than their stated proofs.

 

While both are delicious in their own right, I still believe $150.00 shows Remus Bourbon is tacking on a premium for Babe Ruth fans and collectors. I am neither (nothing against The Bambino, but I find baseball akin to watching paint dry).

 

My rating for 2025 is the same as 2024. If you’re a huge baseball history fan, you must have this Bourbon in your collection. If nothing else, it is a gorgeous decanter and presentation. If you're buying it for the whiskey itself, it's delicious but expensive. My recommendation is to try this at a Bar first. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.