We explore very fine scales of scalar dissipation in turbulent mixing, below Kolmogorov and around Batchelor scales, by performing direct numerical simulations at much finer grid resolution than was usually adopted in the past. We consider the resolution in terms of a local fluctuating Batchelor scale and study the effects on the tails of the probability density function and multifractal properties of the scalar dissipation. The origin and importance of these very fine-scale fluctuations are discussed. One conclusion is that they are unlikely to be related to the most intense dissipation events.