Frederick “Fred” Booker Noe III, son of the late Frederick “Booker” Noe Jr. and great grandson of Jim Beam, is a seventh-generation distiller and keeper of a family flame that has burned for more than 200 years. Fred is Beam’s Master Distiller, sharing the craft of whiskey making and the rich history of his family’s legacy with bourbon enthusiasts worldwide. Fred also serves as Ambassador of The Small Batch Bourbon Collection® — Basil Hayden’s®, Knob Creek®, Baker’s® and Booker’s® — his father Booker’s whiskies. He played an important role in the development and promotion of these ultra-premium bourbons, which are aged longer, feature higher proofs -- representative of pre-prohibition whiskey. When these bourbons were first introduced, he would taste samples at the family’s kitchen table and help select the batches that were ready for bottling.
Fred was steeped in whiskey culture early on. He was born in Bardstown, KY the Bourbon Capital of the World, and grew up in the same house his great grandfather, the legendary Jim Beam, once lived in. He learned to appreciate and understand the craft of whiskey making while listening to his father’s stories about their family. After graduating from Bellarmine University, Fred worked under his father’s tutelage, learning every aspect of the bourbon-making process, including grain selection, fermentation and distillation. In 2007, Beam Inc. honoured Fred on by placing his portrait on the Jim Beam Bourbon brand label alongside the six family distillers who preceded him in the family business — Jacob, David, David M., Jim, Jeremiah and Booker.
