Fred Noe - Beam, Straight Up: The Bold Story of the First Family of Bourbon

CONTENTS

Cover image: Matt Barton

Cover design: Paul McCarthy

Copyright 2012 by Jim Beam Brands Co. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Noe, Fred.

Beam, straight up : the bold story of the first family of bourbon / Fred Noe and Jim Kokoris.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-37836-6 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-43813-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-43815-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-43810-7 (ebk)

1. James B. Beam Distilling CompanyHistory. 2. Noe, Fred. 3. Beam, James B., 1864-1947Family. 4. DistillersUnited StatesBiography. 5. Whiskey industryUnited StatesHistory. I. Kokoris, Jim. II. Title.

HD9395.U47J366 2012

338.7663522092273dc23

2012026256

To my family, past, present, and future.

PROLOGUE

When they first asked me to write a book about my life, I wasnt too keen on the idea. Im not big on books, havent read as many as I probably should. Besides, I wasnt sure I had that much to say. But the more I thought about it, the more I warmed to the idea. I guess my lifes as interesting as some, so why not?

Now, thereve been books written about bourbon before. Thereve even been books written about my family and the company that they built, Beam Inc. So rather than go over subjects that have been covered, I thought Id offer a little bit of everything: the history of the Jim Beam family and my memories of growing up in it; the history of bourbon and how its made; and the things Ive learned from being the master distiller and ambassador of one of the worlds most recognizable brands, Jim Beam Bourbon. And, just in case youre thinking of starting your own business, I added my views, thoughts, and recommendationsfree of chargeon how build a brand and a company for the long haul. I think I have a little insight into that, considering were more than 200 years old.

I guess in the end, this book is part entertainment, part educational, and maybe, just maybe a little inspirational. So sit back and pour yourself a drink. I had a big time writing this thing; hopefully youll have just as big a time reading it.

Fred Noe,

Jim Beams great-grandson and

Master Distiller and Global Bourbon

Ambassador of Beam Inc.

FOREWORD

I like things honest and real. Thats why I like Fred Noe and the Jim Beam family. No pretensions, no smoke and mirrors, no posturing or posing. Just straightforward people, making a straightforward whiskey.

When I heard Fred was working on a book, my first thought was, Its about time. He has stories to tell: about his family, particularly his larger-than-life father, Booker; about the whiskey he makes, which Im proud to be sponsored by; and about himself. Ive known Fred for years; hes a natural entertainerhes lived the lifeand this book is pure entertainment.

Its also educational, offering its fair share of history. For more than 200 years, the Beam family has been part of our culture, the quintessential American company. Started on the frontier in the foothills of the Appalachians, it grew while our country grew. For seven generations the Beams persevered, making whiskey enjoyed by presidents, Civil War generals, musicians, writers, but most important, everyday people. For seven generations theyve put their special craft first and worked hard at keeping a proud tradition alive: Jim Beam Bourbon, an American icon, known the world over.

So heres to Fred and the Beams. Pioneers, artists, craftsmen, scientistswhiskey rock n rollers no doubt!

And heres to a great book.

Cheers,

Kid Rock

I was born on March 9, 1957, in the Baptist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. At first, my grandfather, my mothers father, refused to come see me because he was a serious Catholic and didnt like the idea of me being born in a place where you could eat meat on Fridays. But he eventually came and we all went home in a brand new 1957 Ford Fairlane that my dad, Booker, bought just for the occasion. My dad said his son was coming home in style, so he ran his bank account down to $21 to buy that car, which was kind of a waste because I dont remember that drive at all. But Booker had a flair for the dramatic, so thats how I arrived in Bardstown, Kentucky, the Bourbon Capital of the World, a seventh-generation, soon-to-be whiskey-making Beam.

Thats the official, birth-certificate beginning of my story, but my story really starts a lot earlierway back around 1790. Thats whensit down now, this might take a whilemy great-great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Beam crossed over into Kentucky from Maryland through the Cumberland Gap with his wife, Mary. Jacob was of German descent; his name was originally spelled Boehm and he, like a lot of people, was pushing westward, looking for a place he could put down roots, make a life.

He found that place near Hardin Creek in whats now Washington County in central Kentucky. It was a nice tract of land, about 100 acres, close to good streams and rivers, and he went to work on it right away. Germans like to work. Work is fun for them. So he went at it hard, raising hogs, cattle, horses, and tobacco, but mostly corn. Corn was king in Kentucky back then. The hot summers, the warmer winters, and spring water made it a perfect place for growing it. They grew a lot of it. Probably too much, so they turned some of that corn into whiskey, which was pretty common thing to do on the frontier. A lot of people knew how to do it. Making liquor was the safest and cheapest way to use up the extra corn because it was easy to transport downriver and wasnt susceptible to mildew. Using a water-driven mill to grind the corn and a pot still he had brought with him, Jacob slowly began making whiskey from a fermented mash of corn, rye, and malt. The water he used was sweet Kentucky limestoneespecially good for whiskey making since its rich in calcium, which works well with yeast cells during the fermenting stage. (I promise, thats about as technical as I will get right now.)