The Big Man of Jim Beam

Chapter 16The Road Years

Booker said goodbye to his garden and his fish and hit the road in earnest soon after the Small Batch Bourbon Collection came out, taking Annis and a small team of marketing and public relations people with him. Not that he needed the company. Everywhere he went, he made friends: consumers, retailers, distributors, and the local Beam sales team. All were eager to spend some time with him, all wanted to be his friend and hear him talk about his passion and his new baby—the Small Batch Bourbon Collection.

During his early tastings he was initially paired with leading spirit writers, such as Paul Pacult. Erudite and knowledgeable, Pacult offered his opinions and insights into the whiskies. Since Pacult was one of the country's leading spirit authorities, his endorsement provided credibility to the fledgling bourbons, helping them get established. As time passed, Booker was paired with brand managers from the company: first with Tom Maas, a knowledgeable and articulate vice president of the company (and a close friend of Booker's), and later with Kathleen DiBenedetto, who oversaw the small-batch bourbons. On the surface Booker and Kathleen were an odd pair—she a city girl, he Kentucky through and through—but they worked well together, and Booker soon developed a genuine fondness for her as they barnstormed the country selling this new whiskey one glass at a time. Kathleen had had to earn her stripes with Booker, though, before he accepted her into his fold. ...