Announcement of the appointment, which was made by Fred Noe, the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s seventh generation master distiller came as Beam Distilling (Beam Suntory) celebrated the opening of the completely revamped distillery homestead and visitor experience. Freddie will be the Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. 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.
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.
“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,” said 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.”
Freddie Noe previously surprised and honored Fred Noe in 2019 when he announced the name of the new distillery as the Fred B. Noe Distillery. Freddie played a pivotal role in the development of this project, leading and manifesting 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®