Booker Noe’s kitchen table was more than a place to eat—it was where he read the newspaper, worked on projects, and, most importantly, selected batches of Booker’s Bourbon with family and friends.
In 2018, Booker’s Bourbon released a batch named Kitchen Table in tribute to this space. Fred Noe, Booker’s son, described it as one of his father’s favorite places, central to both his personal and professional life. Today, The Kitchen Table name also lives on at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. as a restaurant that plays a key role in the distillery’s visitor experiences. So, let’s explore the significance of Booker’s kitchen table, and why it has become a defining element of both the Booker’s and Jim Beam brands.
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Where Bourbon & Family Came Together
Long before the kitchen table became a bourbon and a restaurant, it served as a place of experimentation, crafting, talking, and eating for the Noe family. As a sixth-generation Master Distiller, Booker helped define the small-batch bourbon movement, created Booker’s Bourbon, and traveled the world advocating for Jim Beam.
At his kitchen table in his Kentucky home, Booker would “read the newspaper, tinker with his projects, and notably, it’s where he gathered our family and friends to help him select batches of his namesake whiskey,” according to Fred Noe, Booker’s son and seventh-generation Master Distiller. This hands-on approach became his legacy, and after his passing in 2004, the kitchen table took on a deeper meaning.
Booker’s Batch 2018-04 “Kitchen Table”
In late 2018, Booker’s Bourbon released a batch named Kitchen Table to honor the space where Booker developed his whiskey. Bottled at 128 proof, the bourbon reflected his dedication to quality, his love for barrel-strength whiskeys, and the importance of the bourbon selection process.
Fred Noe noted at the time: “This batch is named in honor of an iconic family heirloom that played an essential role in the creation of my dad’s namesake bourbon.” The selection process, led by Booker’s descendants, mirrored the same meticulous tasting and blending that once took place at the kitchen table.
The Kitchen Table Restaurant
Booker Noe and his kitchen table have also been honored through The Kitchen Table restaurant, which opened in 2021 on the James B. Beam Distilling Co. campus. Offering authentic Kentucky cuisine, it provides visitors with a place to relax after a tour while replicating the warmth of Booker’s original gathering space.
The restaurant plays a key role in Beam’s visitor experiences, including the Noe The Craft tour which ends with a whiskey-paired meal after a guided visit with Fred or Freddie Noe. This setting fosters conversation between bourbon fans and the Noe family, reinforcing the personal connections at the heart of the brand.
Fred Noe values this direct engagement, explaining in an interview last year: “I think that it’s important to treat people like you would want to be treated if you were on the other side of the fence. I think we have done that with the expansion of the campus and our involvement in the experience. It has opened us up and allowed more people to come.”
Booker’s Legacy Lives On
Booker Noe’s kitchen table was more than a place to eat—it was where he refined Booker’s Bourbon, gathered family and friends, and shaped his legacy. The 2018 Kitchen Table bourbon release and The Kitchen Table restaurant at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. both pay tribute to this space and the values it represents.
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From bourbon blending sessions to shared meals, the kitchen table symbolizes the family-driven approach that has defined Jim Beam for generations.
You can book your spot at the kitchen table – most figuratively and literally – by signing up for the Noe Your Craft tour here. From $350 per person, 21+.
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