During a celebration of more than two centuries of Bourbon legacy, the James B. Beam Distilling Company made a historic announcement. As the team commemorated the revamped distillery homestead and visitor experience – which includes the newly opened Fred B. Noe Distillery and The Kitchen Table Restaurant – Fred Noe, the company’s 7th generation master distiller, announced the appointment of Freddie Noe as master distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery.
“There is nothing in this world that would give me more pleasure and make me prouder than seeing Freddie step into the role of master distiller,” shared Fred Noe in an emotional toast in front of friends and family during the celebration of the reimagined James B. Beam Distilling Co. “One of my biggest regrets is to never have distilled alongside my own father, Booker, so working side-by-side with Freddie will be a dream come true. I believe that a master distiller should understand the craft of distilling, uphold quality, and honor tradition while spearheading innovation. Freddie embodies this wholeheartedly and I look forward to seeing Freddie lead the charge in creating the next generation of whiskeys that help to grow the American whiskey category around the world.”
In 2019 Freddie Noe surprised and honoured Fred when he announced the name of the new distillery as the Fred B. Noe Distillery. Freddie has played a pivotal role in the development of this project, leading and establishing Fred’s vision from more than five years ago.
Fred had always been inspired by his own father, Booker Noe, who created the original small-batch Bourbons. Now, Freddie will continue leading this effort with some of the James B. Beam Distilling Co’s most popular super-premium whiskies such as Little Book and Bookers, created by his grandfather, Booker.
This is the first time in the history of JBBDCo that there are two family members, working alongside one another, sharing the master distiller title.
“It is an honor beyond words to follow in my father’s footsteps,” shared Freddie Noe. “I will continue to honor the 227 years of family craft and experience in my work every day by dedicating myself to making genuine quality whiskey while pushing the brand forward.”
While Fred Noe will maintain his role as master distiller, overseeing the James B. Beam Distilling Company’s portfolio of brands that include Jim Beam Bourbon, Knob Creek Bourbon, Basil Hayden and others, Freddie Noe will oversee the Fred B. Noe Distillery as master distiller. In this role, Freddie will experiment with new fermentation, distillation, and blending techniques to produce category-defining and boundary-pushing whiskey of the highest quality. Freddie will also lead experiential distillation sessions and seminars with hands-on activities in the blending lab.