The first release of the Booker’s Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Donohoe’s Batch. Each batch takes its name from a part of the company history. The 2021-01 batch honors Mike Donohoe, a retired Jim Beam employee and friend of Sixth Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe.
Donohoe first joined Jim Beam in 1982 as a sales manager, after retiring from a seven-year career in the NFL. After Noe and Donohoe bonded over their mutual love of football, Noe invited Donohoe to his office for a glass of bourbon, the company says.
“It was unlike any Jim Beam bourbon Donohoe had tried before, so Noe let him in on his secret — he’d been playing with something different, and he’d share a bit of it with friends from time to time. A few years later, Donohoe approached Noe with the idea to give bottles of his special stash as holiday gifts to their most important distributors and industry partners. With little time and minimal budget, Noe sourced wine bottles from a warehouse in Bardstown and wrote the labels himself to get the job done.”
Following the wave of positive reviews, Noe decided to release the holiday gift as Booker’s Bourbon — thanks to the help from Donohoe.
Like all batches of Booker’s Bourbon, Booker’s Donohoe’s Batch was selected by Seventh Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe. The 2021-01 batch is 127.3 proof, aged six years, seven months and seven days.
The aroma has vanilla and some baking spice, the company reports. The taste is full-bodied and opens in the mouth.
Booker’s Donohoe’s Batch is available nationwide now, in limited quantities, for a suggested retail price of $89.99 per 750-ml. bottle.
Master Distiller Notes
The batch is made up of barrels from two production dates that were aged in six different rackhouse locations.
The breakdown of barrel storage for Booker’s Donohoe’s Batch is as follows:
The color of this Booker’s batch is a medium amber that reflects the length of time spent in the white oak barrels. The aroma has vanilla and some baking spice that makes you want to experience the taste of this batch. The taste is full-bodied and opens in the mouth, with a finish that is pleasant and fulfilling especially in these cold winter months. I know Booker would be proud of this batch for the delightful experience it brings the person enjoying it and for the fact that we named it after his great friend, Mike Donohoe.
Label Inspiration
“The first release of the Booker’s® Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-01 ‘Donohoe’s Batch.’ This batch is named in honor of retired Jim Beam employee Mike Donohoe who was also a close friend to my dad, Booker Noe. Without Mike, Booker’s Bourbon wouldn’t exist today.
In 1982, Mike joined the Jim Beam Company as a sales manager in Chicago – a ‘suit’ as Dad would say – after retiring from a seven-year career in the NFL. Mike first met Dad on a company trip to Kentucky. After taking a liking to Mike, Dad invited him to his office for a glass of bourbon. It was unlike any Jim Beam Bourbon he had tasted before. Booker let Mike in on his secret – he’d been playing with something different, and he’d share a bit of it with friends from time to time.
A few years later, Mike approached Booker with the idea to give bottles of his special stash as holiday gifts to their most important distributors and industry partners. With little time and almost no budget, Booker sourced wine bottles from a warehouse in Bardstown and wrote the labels himself to get the job done. Based on the hundreds of letters they received raving about that uncut, unfiltered whiskey, it’s safe to say the rest is Booker’s Bourbon history.
Dad always had the final say when it came to his Booker’s, but he trusted Mike to help him build it into the brand that it is today. ‘Mike gets it,’ he used to say. Now, I’m proud to honor Mike with a batch of his own.”
– Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller
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