Booker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Batch 2023-01E

A cult-loved barrel proof, unfiltered Kentucky straight bourbon, this is Batch 2023-01E and is seven years and one month old.

Bottled at 63.3% (126.6 proof), the batch has been named “Charlie’s Batch” after Charlie Hutchens, the craftsman behind the wooden boxes many of the Booker’s bourbon releases are presented in. 

The expression was drawn from four different production dates, and aged within four different warehouses.

The full breakdown is:

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

Official tasting notes: 

Nose: Balanced without too much wood and with hints of oak, toasted nuts, and vanilla. This is the aroma that Dad [Booker Noe] always looked for in his Booker’s.

Palate: Balanced with a slight warmth.

Finish: A pleasant finish. This batch came out just the way Dad liked it.

Fred Noe’s inspiration for the release: 

“This batch is named in honor 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.”