Booker's Bourbon, part of the Jim Beam family and one of the few Bourbons bottled straight from the barrel uncut, is out with their first release of 2023, titled "Charlie's Batch".

Typically releasing four releases each year, aside from years where the distillery deems the whisky unready for bottling, Booker's was started by Booker Noe, Jim Beam's grandson, initially as a gift for family and friends for the festive Christmas season, it is now on the cusp of moving into its new distillery facility,  the Fred B. Noe Distillery.

Each release is usually named after a key member or feature of the distillery's history - this time named in honour of "Charlie Hutchens, the craftsman behind the signature wooden boxes that each bottle of Booker’s Bourbon comes in. He is also a longtime family friend and former employee of my dad, Booker Noe."

"Charlie started his career working at the Booker Noe Distillery. He was quite the storyteller and would entertain others with his tall tales throughout the workday. He was also one to pay close attention to the details, doing something over and over again until it was perfect – just like Dad was with his whiskey. It’s not hard to see why they got on so well.

After several years, Charlie left the business to open his own cabinet shop with his brother. Charlie handcrafted the very first Booker’s Bourbon wooden boxes in his garage, and he’s created every box for us since. He and his brother have expanded their business to create other fine wood products for different brands and projects in the Beam family, including supplying custom furniture to the new Fred B. Noe Distillery – where Booker’s Bourbon is now distilled.

Charlie still lives near our Booker Noe Distillery and enjoys fishing and vacationing with his family in South Carolina. One of these days, my son Freddie and I hope to get out there to fish with him. Our whole family is so grateful for Charlie as he was one of the first people to help us make Booker’s Bourbon a recognizable brand. Charlie is a very worthy recipient of his own batch, and we are excited to honor him."

--- Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller

MASTER DISTILLER NOTES

This batch is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged in four different warehouses. The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” is as follows:

3% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q

17% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse G

24% came from the 4th floor of 7-story warehouse Z

27% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Z

29% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 1

"The color of this batch is pleasant to the eye with an amber color of a well-aged bourbon. The nose is balanced without too much wood and with hints of oak, toasted nuts, and vanilla. This is the aroma that Dad always looked for in his Booker’s. The taste is balanced with a slight warmth and has a pleasant finish. This batch came out just the way Dad liked it, and I know he would be happy that I named it for Charlie. I hope you enjoy this batch of Booker’s as much as I do."

Images courtesy of Booker's.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team