How The Booker’s Bourbon ‘Mighty Fine Batch’ Got Its Name

The third Booker’s Bourbon batch of 2023 is out and it has some wondering how it got the name ‘Mighty Fine Batch.’

The answer to that question is it came from the man, the myth, the legend himself: Booker Noe. It was Booker who first coined the phrase “small batch” in the bourbon industry and it was Booker who created Booker’s Batch Bourbon back in 1988.

The story of how Booker’s Bourbon came to exist is a pretty fascinating one. I learned the history back in 2021 during the release of Donohoe’s Batch.

For the history buffs, you can read that story in full right here and for the rest I’ll give you the abridged version. A man named Mike Donohoe was National Sales Manager for Jim Beam and tasked with passing out holiday gifts to clients like flowers, chocolates, hams, and crabs. It dawned on him they were a bourbon company and should be gifting away ‘the good stuff’ and one thing led to another.

How Booker’s Bourbon ‘Mighty Fine Batch’ Got Its Name

The third Booker’s Bourbon batch of 2023 has been named ‘Mighty Fine Batch’ and it harkens back to a phrase Booker Noe was fond of when the conditions were right.

“Mighty fine” was a signature phrase from Sixth Generation Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe. He’d use the phrase on everything from the bourbon he distilled to the country hams he aged in the smokehouse at his family’s home in Bardstown.

Meeting up with other bourbon dignitaries in the area for Booker’s Bourbon tastings, everyone would know he was particularly pleased with his latest batch when the words “mighty fine” came out of his mouth. This story from Fred Noe, Booker’s son, reveals how special the phrase was to the family:

“Shortly before Booker passed away in 2004, his son, Seventh Generation Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe, was in charge of selecting the barrels for a Booker’s Bourbon batch. Fred was a little nervous at first – he had big shoes to fill – but after Booker tasted the sample, he looked at Fred and said, “Mighty fine job, son.” A lot of people thought it was one of the best batches, but receiving Booker’s vote of confidence made it that much more special for Fred – a moment he will never forget.”

Seventh Generation Beam Family Master Distiller Fred Noe, Booker’s son, is the man who has carried the Booker’s Batch Bourbon torch for years. And it was Fred Noe who was moved enough by this batch to bestow the name ‘Mighty Fine Batch’ on it.

Booker’s Bourbon ‘Mighty Fine Batch’ clocks in at a hot 126.6 proof. It comes from bourbon aged for 7 years, 1 month, and 10 days. The breakout of this blend is:

2% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse Q
3% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse Z
8% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G
10% came from the 6th floor of 7-story warehouse I
10% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse H
12% came from the 5th floor of 9-story warehouse G
55% came from the 5th floor of 7-story warehouse 3

Mighty Fine Batch has a rich color and is bursting with flavors of vanilla and brown sugar. It has the long ‘Kentucky Hug’ finish characteristic of high-proof Booker’s Batch Bourbon. And it is out in stores now. So when you find a bottle and crack it open at home with friends and family you’ll now be able to share this story with with the world.

Semi-related, I wanted to make mention of this collaboration between Knob Creek and Smithey Ironware:

The Knob Creek & Smithey 18x Seasoned Skillet was created alongside the re-release of Knob Creek 18-Year Bourbon, another ultra-premium release within the James B. Beam Distilling Co. portfolio that I’ve been in love with since the first sip.

What makes that cast-iron skillet so special, and why you’ll want to take notice of it, is a typical cast-iron skillet is only seasoned 3 times. This one has been seasoned 18 times (15 times more than normal) and like all cast-iron it only gets better with age, a nod to how special the 18yr Knob Creek Bourbon is.