Little Book Chapter 3 “The Road Home” Bourbon Review

By Randall H. Borkus

Rating A-

I recently had the good fortune to spend time at Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont Kentucky with some special people, where we met with Freddie Noe and were introduced to an exciting 2019 release of “Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home” (Recipe 051). Little Book Chapter 3 is the first Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in the Little Book line from Freddie Noe. Freddie is an eighth-generation distiller, whose father Fred is the current Master Distiller at Jim Beam, and the series is titled for the nickname given to Freddie by his grandfather, the legendary Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe.

Though Freddie doesn’t share the exact proportions of his creations, he specified that he comingled the four Jim Beam Small Batch products in the creation of Little Book Chapter 3 as follows from most to least proportions used. Starting with 9 year Knob Creek at 117.4 proof; 12 year version of Baker’s at 126.6 proof (Baker’s is usually a 7 year old); 9 year Basil Hayden’s at 123 proof (when this high rye bourbon had an age statement, Basil Hayden’s was an 8 year old); and 11 year Booker’s at 129.2 proof (Booker’s is usually 6 to 8 years). Each Bourbon is unfiltered, well-aged, and intermingled at barrel proof, so even if you could nail the ages down, you are not recreating this at home.

Freddie explained “the goal is to find some form or fashion the aspects of each of the four whiskeys in this blend.” With that in mind he walked us through the deconstruction.

Freddie explained he chose the 9 year Knob Creek first because it reminded him of the key aspects his granddaddy would recognize as the very key he would look for in a whiskey, “big bold vanilla and caramel notes.” Its an aroma that he found welcoming from his childhood. “When I first put that Knob up to my nose, it took me back to smelling whiskey in granddaddy’s kitchen,” he recalled. Thus, the majority of the base for the blend is made up of Knob Creek.

He followed with a 12 year Baker’s, which is the oldest component of this blend supplying the brown-sugar sweetness and providing a prodigious nose. (I learned Baker’s will soon be a single barrel option near you).

Next component was the 9 year Basil Hayden’s, which challenged him to find just the right combination of rye spice and a light finish. Freddie explained that the Basil Hayden’s was “the lever he used to influence the final length and strength of the finish.” (And yes, we sampled barrel proof Basil Hayden’s, and it was great!)

And the final component, 11 year Booker’s which is the highest proof as it accentuates the caramel and vanilla notes Freddie’s granddaddy looked for in whiskey, so it rounded out the flavor profile he wanted to achieve.

The Bourbon
My tasting experience was a little skewed given we started by deconstructing (sampling) the four individual barrel proof components before tasting Freddie’s final work of genius Little Book Chapter 3, but here’s my initial notes compiled following the deconstruction as I walk away with a couple of ounces in my glass to pounder.

The color was a beautiful shiny dark amber with syrupy legs adhering to the sides of my glass peering back at me.

The nose was bold and loaded with charred baking spice, dried fruit and hints of vanilla-Carmel drizzle. The mouthfeel is audacious, full bodied, attacking the front of my palate and slowly opening up with distinct flavors of brown sugar sweetness, charred oak, dried pear dusted with allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

The finish is warm and matured reminding me of the elements I love in Baker’s, Booker’s and Knob Creek settling in on the back of my palate with vanilla bean, dried apricot sugars and a delightful lingering dryness of a Mocha-oak blend on its long final bow to my palate.

This is a complex grow-up Kentucky bourbon whiskey that perfectly hits the nail on the head, even if it will probably intimidate a novice.

The Price
Little Book Chapter 3 – “The Road Home” is bottled at 122.6 proof (ABV 61.30%). It’s coming to a shelve near you soon at a suggested retail price of around $124.99. I suspect this one will disappear quickly once it hits the shelves.