Skip to main content

Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon is a Celebration of Booker Noe’s Legacy

Every year, Booker’s Bourbon — which is made by the minds behind Beam — introduces special editions. These are always uncut and unfiltered premium bourbons that express different aspects of the Noe family in one way or another (this year’s four releases were named Kathleen’s Batch, Backyard BBQ, Kentucky Chew, and Kitchen Table). To cap out 2018, Booker’s is rolling out what it is calling the “most special release of the year” in Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon.

Booker’s 30th is a celebration of Booker Noe, Beam’s former master distiller and father to current master distiller, Fred Noe. The brand, which was founded three decades ago, is seen as being the brand to launch the category that we know and love today as small batch whiskies.

bookers 30th bottle 2018
Booker's

For this release, Fred Noe used a blend of 9-year-old (70 percent) and 16-year-old (30 percent) Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskies that are bottled at 125.8 proof (62.9 percent alcohol by volume).

Recommended Videos

“It’s a great honor to release Booker’s 30th Anniversary in commemoration of my dad and the path he paved when he introduced the world to Booker’s Bourbon,” Noe said in a statement. “When we first started talking about an anniversary batch, I knew it would have to be something special, and during my final tasting of this extra aged liquid, I knew Dad would have been pleased. I’m proud to carry on his legacy every day and to share this special release in honor of the damn fine whiskey he created 30 years ago.”

booker noe bourbon
Jim Beam.

Back when Booker Noe first decided to create the brand, he had one idea in mind: to create his version of the perfect bourbon. He used whiskies that were aged between six and eight years, then bottled the bourbon to give as gifts to friends and family. The rest, they say, is history, as it laid the groundwork for many of the bourbons on our shelves today.

The predominant flavor of Booker’s 30th is vanilla, the flavor Noe ensured was in every batch of his namesake bourbon. The brand describes the taste as robust, yet lighter than other Booker’s releases, with a quick and dry finish. You’ll find the aforementioned vanilla pairing with oak as the key flavor components in the whiskey.

To further honor Booker, this bourbon is topped with a special silver wax seal and housed in a box that is made of reclaimed wood from the rackhouses that Booker stored whiskey that would eventually become his personal batches of Booker’s.

Booker’s 30th Anniversary Bourbon is available nationwide in extremely limited quantities and will sell for the suggested price of $200. Can’t find Booker’s and still want to buy a special bottle for the holidays? Check out our guide to the best liquors to gift this season.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
New Riff is launching a pair of ten-year-old whiskeys
New Riff is launching two decade-old whiskeys
New Riff

If you believe a decade is the sweet spot for aging in whiskey, you're in luck. The distillers at Newport, Kentucky's New Riff just announced the release of not one, but two ten-year-old whiskeys—a bourbon whiskey as well as a rye whiskey.
First Decade Whiskeys

They're called the First Decade Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and First Decade Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, and they are the first ten-year-old whiskeys produced by the popular distillery. They're the newest additions to the distillery's High Note limited-edition lineup for spring 2025 and will be available only through the New Riff Whiskey Club.

Read more
Old Commonwealth Distillery to revive D.H. Cromwell Bourbon
Old Commonwealth Distillery is rereleasing Dirty Helen Cromwell Bourbon
Old Commonwealth Distillery

In 2000, a liquor retailer named Gordon Jackson won a barrel of 15-year-old bourbon from Julian Van Winkle (yes, that Van Winkle family) and decided to bottle and sell it under the name "Dirty Helen" Cromwell Bourbon. It was such a hit that it's being rereleased twenty-five years later by Old Commonwealth Distillery.
D.H. Cromwell Bourbon

For those unaware, Helen Cromwell was born in 1886. She was a sex worker, madam, and owner of the infamous Sunflower Inn located in Milwaukee in the 20s and 40s, a bar that only served whiskey and nothing else. She was also known for her colorful, crude language, earning her the nickname "Dirty Helen".

Read more
How to make instant coffee taste better: Simple tricks for a better brew
Exploring water temperature, mixing techniques, and more
instant coffee powder

Many regular coffee drinkers view instant coffee as inferior, arguing that its taste lacks the freshness and flavor of freshly brewed coffee. While there's plenty of truth to this, I still believe there's a time and a place for instant coffee. For many coffee drinkers, instant coffee offers a convenience and affordability that ground or whole-bean coffee can't. Luckily, inquiring coffee minds across the world have wondered if it's possible to make instant coffee better. From adding milk to adjusting the way you stir, here's what to know about how to make your instant coffee taste better.

How to make instant coffee taste better

Read more