It’s an unfortunate reality of both the beer and whiskey industries that for the majority of each’s existence, they have undeniably been “boys clubs.” The two fields are largely male dominated, not only in terms of brewery and distillery ownership, but on the creative and technical sides of the operations as well. Only in recent years have efforts truly been made to make the space a more egalitarian one, but you can be sure that there are still a whole lot of dudes in beards and flannel at the top structure of most breweries and distilleries.
It’s certainly a step in the right direction, then, to see that the first release in Booker’s Bourbon 2018 Collection, “Kathleen’s Batch,” is not only named after a woman but selected by a panel of them. The whiskey is named in honor of Kathleen DiBenedetto, a longtime Beam employee who was instrumental as a brand manager of the Small Batch Bourbon Collection, which includes such well-known Beam brands as Baker’s, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and Booker’s. The last was of course named for Booker Noe, the brand’s legendary master distiller, who worked closely with DiBenedetto as Beam first brought its Small Batch Collection to the public, altering the American whiskey landscape in the process. DiBenedetto is one of only a handful of women who has been inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and today still works for Beam Suntory as Senior Director of On-Premise and Luxury Marketing.
Together with seventh generation Beam distiller Fred Noe and a panel of female whiskey writers invited to partake in a selection process, DiBenedetto chose the liquid that would become “Kathleen’s Batch.” According to the disillery:
Like all batches of Booker’s Bourbon, “Kathleen’s Batch” is bottled uncut at its natural proof, of 127.4. The batch was aged for 6 years, 3 months and 14 days and offers notes of robust caramel, leather and floral honey with a well-balanced, strong yet sweet finish complemented by notes of toasted oak. The batch is now available nationwide in limited quantities with a suggested retail price of $69.99-74.99 for a 750ml bottle.