Bookers Bourbon Kathleen's Batch...$59.99
2018-01 Batch
Booker’s “Kathleen’s Batch” was selected by myself, Kathleen and the Booker’s Bourbon Roundtable. The batch is made up of barrels from five production dates aged in several different locations within three warehouses. The breakdown of the barrel locations is as follows:
4% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse ONE
6% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse F
3% came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse F
19% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse H
30% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse H
13% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H
25% came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse H
Kathleen’s description of the nose is that it presents notes of leather and floral honey. I note some caramel and vanilla as I always do in Booker’s. I know my Dad always strived for those aromas in the nose of each batch of his namesake bourbon, too. Together, we taste rich butterscotch, brown sugar, dried cherries and a little allspice. The finish is a nice balance of toasted oak with caramel and brown sugar. As one of our Booker’s Roundtable members put it best, this batch is just like Kathleen herself – “strong, sweet, rich and delightful.”
Booker’s “Kathleen’s Batch” was selected by myself, Kathleen and the Booker’s Bourbon Roundtable. The batch is made up of barrels from five production dates aged in several different locations within three warehouses. The breakdown of the barrel locations is as follows:
4% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse ONE
6% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse F
3% came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse F
19% came from the 4th floor of 9-story warehouse H
30% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse H
13% came from the 6th floor of 9-story warehouse H
25% came from the 7th floor of 9-story warehouse H
Kathleen’s description of the nose is that it presents notes of leather and floral honey. I note some caramel and vanilla as I always do in Booker’s. I know my Dad always strived for those aromas in the nose of each batch of his namesake bourbon, too. Together, we taste rich butterscotch, brown sugar, dried cherries and a little allspice. The finish is a nice balance of toasted oak with caramel and brown sugar. As one of our Booker’s Roundtable members put it best, this batch is just like Kathleen herself – “strong, sweet, rich and delightful.”
I’m proud to share the first release of our 2018 Booker’s® Bourbon batch collection, called Booker’s® Batch 2018-01, “Kathleen’s Batch.” This batch is named in honor of my good friend Kathleen DiBenedetto, who played an essential role in launching the Small Batch Bourbon Collection® with my dad, Booker Noe, in the early 90s. She was the first brand manager of Knob Creek®, Basil Hayden’s®, Baker’s® and Booker’s, and together with Dad, she helped pave the way for the premium bourbon category we all know and love today.
From the start, Dad put Kathleen to work at the distillery, assigning her to nearly every job until she knew the ins and outs of how bourbon is made, the Beam way. Each evening, Dad and Kathleen would sit at our kitchen table, and he would quiz her on all she had learned that day – believe me when I say he wasn’t easy on her, either! In September 2015, Kathleen’s contributions to the bourbon industry were recognized when she was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and she sure deserved it.
After more than 25 years with the Beam business, our family thinks of Kathleen as the daughter Dad never had. I know he’d be proud to honor her with a batch of his namesake Booker’s Bourbon. It’s a small token of “thanks” for the heart and hard work she’s put into our brands all these years. I hope you’ll join me in enjoying a glass of Booker’s “Kathleen’s Batch” in her honor.
-- Fred Noe, Beam Family's 7th Generation Master Distiller
No comments:
Post a Comment