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The James B. Beam Distilling Co. (JBBDCo), celebrated and award-winning makers of genuine American whiskey for over 225 years, opened the Fred B. Noe Distillery on August 31, which is dedicated to Seventh Generation Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe. Celebrating JBBDCo’s ethos of Genuine in the Making – its tireless and timeless commitment to honoring, elevating and pioneering what American Whiskey should and could be – the new distillery will be led by Noe’s son, Eighth Generation Beam Distiller Freddie Noe. It will produce several of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s well-known and award-winning brands, including Freddie’s acclaimed Little Book® Whiskey annual series of blends, as well as future innovations.
“Our new distillery is really the heart and soul of the Beam legacy. Years ago after my dad, Booker Noe, created the original small batch bourbons, he looked to me to welcome more whiskey drinkers into our family of brands. Now as I look ahead, it’s with great pride that I hand the reins of this special place over to my son Freddie, and I look forward to working side-by-side as he leads the next chapter in whiskey making for the James B. Beam Distilling Co.,” Fred Noe said. “At the new distillery Freddie will continue to experiment with new fermentation, distillation and blending techniques to produce category-defining and boundary-pushing whiskey of the highest quality. I can’t wait to see what he does with it, and I know that my dad is smiling down on us today.”
The Fred B. Noe Distillery joins the Beam family’s iconic distillery campus in Clermont, KY that has produced bourbon since 1935, including Jim Beam®, the number one-selling bourbon in the world. Some of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s most popular super-premium whiskies, including Booker’s Bourbon, Baker’s Bourbon and Little Book Whiskey, will find a permanent home at the Fred B. Noe Distillery. The new distillery will also offer a space for continued experimentation and exploration of the future American whiskey category. The newly launched exclusive membership program, Barreled & Boxed, will allow consumers to experience the distilling company’s most exciting releases straight to their doorsteps in select states, where legal.
“This new distillery represents my family’s bourbon legacy – both where we’ve been and where we’re headed,” said Freddie Noe. “In this new home, I look forward to honoring all of my dad’s contributions and continuing to innovate and push the boundaries in American whiskey. Over the last five years, I’ve been exploring new and interesting blends, ages and flavors on my quest to build upon the legacy my dad and granddad pioneered. I’m eager to show the world what we’ve been up to, and to offer fans everywhere a taste of the special whiskies we’ve been cooking up.”
The Fred B. Noe Distillery, powered by renewable energy through a high-efficiency electric boiler and the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), will also offer experiential learning through distillation sessions and seminars with Freddie Noe, hands-on activities in the blending lab, and a tasting bar to sample new and yet-to-be released innovations for select members of the trade. Additionally, a state-of-the-art classroom for the University of Kentucky’s James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits will be housed at the Fred B. Noe Distillery wherein future leaders in the American Whiskey industry will come together to learn the genuine whiskey making craft firsthand from the James B. Beam Distilling Company’s experts.
