Eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe personifies the legacy of the James B. Beam Distilling Co., which recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. He’s iterated on the work of his father, Fred Noe, and his father’s father, Booker Noe, both master distillers in their own times. On August 27, Freddie and James B. Beam announced a new expression that celebrates that generational impact of his forefathers: Little Book The Infinite: Edition 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It's the latest innovation in Freddie's eponymous bourbon line, titled after his childhood nickname, Little Book.
Freddie got an idea while tinkering with different barrels in the Fred B. Noe Distillery on the James B. Beam campus in Clermont, KY, a facility specifically intended for experimentation. Why not take liquid from barrels his father and grandfather created and meld them with something of his own creation?
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The resulting blend comprises four parts: 20-year-old bourbon made by Booker before he died in 2004, a 14-year-old whiskey Fred laid down, Freddie’s own seven-year-old bourbon, and an eight-year expression inspired by the work of all three men.
In the warm orange glow of the Fred B. Noe Distillery tasting room, I sat across the bar from Freddie, who raved at length about The Infinite in his distinct Kentucky drawl. His passion was palpable, egged on by a few nips of the auburn-hued bourbon. A glass of The Infinite was placed in front of me, and I was ready to dig in.
When I brought the glass to my face, fruity smoke hit my nose. I initially tasted caramel and vanilla before ripe cherries stuck to the tip of my tongue and stayed there—Freddie’s favorite part, he tells me. An oaky, spicy finish lingers, encouraging my palate to have another go.
"I've always been a stickler for the finish," Freddie says. "It's one of those things where it's the last impression of the glass."
He was certainly right. The finish was so impressionable, it left me wanting another taste. I found myself asking to borrow the bottle for a quick picture—a guise to sneak another small pour. Nobody seemed to notice as Freddie fielded more questions and encouraged us to experience Little Book by not just drinking it, but talking about it.
Chris Hatler
"What I love about Little Book, is that it's a conversation. No handcuffs, just talk about the whiskey and enjoy it," he says.
Whiskey makers speak through their product—the physical manifestation of the passion they share—and Freddie blended that conversation among his grandfather, father, and himself into a single bottle.
The bourbon's name hints at another layer of symbolism. For each subsequent annual edition of The Infinite, Freddie will fold an additional whiskey into the blend. Although the initial liquids will make up a smaller and smaller share of the whole, they'll always be present. It's a powerful statement: As time goes on, older generations pass, younger generations take over, and things inevitably change—but the foundation remains.
Little Book The Infinite: Edition 1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is bottled at 59.65 percent ABV and sells for $200 MSRP for a 750ml bottle in a commemorative wooden box.
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