Little Book

Released exclusively in Fall 2023’s Barreled and Boxed, a direct-to-consumer program from Beam.

The first-ever Little Book Excerpt is specially made just for Barreled & Boxed members. Here, Freddie blends extra-special liquids for a surprising one-time release.

Little Book Chapter 7, “In Retrospect,” is the seventh chapter in the Little Book Whiskey series. “In Retrospect” offers any curious whiskey drinker a chance to explore where American Whiskey can go by looking back to where it’s been.

Now, with six chapters written, the seventh chapter of Little Book pushes the story ahead, building on what’s come before in ways not yet seen. Little Book Chapter 7 is a blend of seven different liquid streams, blending one liquid from each of the previous chapters, then adding a record seventh. “In Retrospect” is a nod to the past but also sets the course for what’s next, not only for Little Book, but Freddie’s continued journey as Eighth Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery.

• 18-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 17-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 10-year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
• 9-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 5-year Straight Malt Whiskey finished in Applewood Smoked barrels
• 4-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• 4-year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

This chapter showcases the innovation and personal touch of the creator, offering a unique liquid profile achieved through the blending of five different liquid streams using various wood staves and barrel techniques for secondary aging. Despite its lower age, Chapter 6 challenges assumptions about cask strength whiskies and provides an approachable experience. Inspired by the combination of cooking and whiskey, the chapter explores the complementary nature of these passions, incorporating the flavors of hardwoods and culinary techniques to create a flavor that is greater than the sum of its parts, reflecting generations of curing, grilling, and distilling.

This release consists of:

• 4-year Straight Malt Whiskey Finished with Cherrywood Staves
• 4-year Straight Malt Whiskey in Applewood Smoked Barrels
• 4-year Straight Malt Whiskey Finished in Hickory Smoked Barrels
• 5-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon

This release consists of:

• 2-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon
  “Distilled and barreled at a lower proof than normal creates a complexity not often experienced in a young whiskey. This prominent component delivers a sweet grain flavor and creamy mouthfeel […] that serves to balance the stronger oak flavors from older whiskies in the blend.”
• 3-year-old malted 100% rye – this component is a brand new whiskey from Beam that we’ve never seen before.
  “It brings smoky, peppery notes to the final blend not traditionally common in rye whiskey.”
• 5-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon
  “Hints of vanilla and corn sweetness on the nose and a smooth finish, balancing the flavors from the younger whiskies and the extra aged bourbon”
• 15-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon
  “delivers heavier barrel flavors to the blend, adding a deep complexity and characteristics that can only be achieved through extended time spent aging in a Kentucky rackhouse.”

Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored is a tribute to Fred Noe, the father of Little Book creator Freddie Noe.

• 4-year-old Kentucky straight brown rice bourbon (a reminder “of the first distilling project he handled on his own, after years and experiences under Fred’s guidance”)
• 8-year-old Kentucky straight high-rye rye whiskey (“an ode to Booker’s Rye, one of the first commemorative releases that Fred and Freddie tasted and selected together”)
• 7-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon (to impart “flavors reminiscent of Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection, a spirit enjoyed by Fred”)

This release pays tribute to the releases that Booker introduced and made Jim Beam into what it is today. Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home is the first Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in the Little Book series, as it is a blend of all four Jim Beam Small Batch bourbons. The Road Home is a barrel-strength blend of:

• 9 year old Basil Hayden
• 9 year old Knob Creek
• 11 year old Booker’s
• 12 year old Baker’s

With the exception of Knob Creek, none of the other releases in this blend are otherwise be available to the public. Baker’s is normally a 107-proof 7-year old release, Booker’s is 6-7 years old at barrel strength, and Basil Hayden’s is traditionally bottled at 80-proof.

This release is a blend of the following whiskies, all owned by Beam Suntory (percentages not disclosed):

• 8 year Kentucky straight rye at 119.8 proof
• 13 year Canadian rye at 111.9 proof
• 40 year Canadian 100% corn whisky at 137.8 proof

“The floral, fruit notes Canadian whiskies achieve really intrigued me, along with the aging and production styles that are so different from what we do here in Kentucky,” Freddie Noe said in a press release. “It was a step outside my comfort zone to bring these two worlds of whiskey together.”

This release is made up of:

• 4-year-old, uncut and unfiltered bourbon whiskey
• 13-year-old, uncut and unfiltered true corn whiskey
• Nearly 6-year-old, uncut and unfiltered 100% malt whiskey
• Nearly 6-year-old, uncut and unfiltered high rye whiskey