Johannes Reginald Beam immigrated to the United States from Germany after the American Revolutionary War ended, and he eventually made Kentucky County his home. John J. Bowman, a military governor, presided over Kentucky County, which was still regarded as a part of Virginia at the time. Beam started collecting corn after moving to Kentucky, and he started a family custom of turning the extra grains he collected into whiskey. Since then, the Beam family has been producing whiskey for the firm of the same name for seven generations (the company is named after James Beam, who saved it during Prohibition).

Booker Noe, Jim Beam’s grandson, is honored with the name of the Booker’s brand of whiskey. Noe first bottled the bourbon, which was made from a mash made mostly of corn, to give as presents to close friends and family. The bourbon is now aged in virgin American oak casks located in the middle of a Kentucky rickhouse, where the humidity and temperature are ideal for whiskey maturation.

Booker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, “Booker’s Maw Maw’s Small Batch,” is a unique homage to his grandmother, whom he lovingly referred to as “Maw Maw.” Booker later relocated next door after returning from college after spending his high school years at Maw Maw’s home in Bardstown, Kentucky. Booker came up with the famous recipe for his namesake bourbon while he was living next door.

Booker’s “Maw Maw’s Batch” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, aged precisely six years, seven months, and three days, offers a rich aroma of vanilla cake and pralines, followed by a palate full of corn pudding, roasted almonds, and wood. There are faint notes of orange marmalade in the lengthy, warming aftertaste.

Booker’s received a score of 90-95 points from Wine Enthusiast and won the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2006, 2007, and 2009. “This is whiskey the old-fashioned way. “The way it was supposed to be,” Booker says. Get a bottle of this unique batch now!

Notes on Tasting

A tongue full of toasted nuts, oak, and corn pudding follows the rich perfume of vanilla cake and pralines. There are faint notes of orange marmalade in the lengthy, warming aftertaste.