The James B Beam Distilling Company recently launched Hardin’s Creek, a new brand that will chart the ongoing story of the Beam family legacy.
The brand symbolizes the next generation of American Whiskey inspired by the seven generations of Beam Master Distillers. Slated as an ongoing series of annual releases, featuring some of the distillery’s rarest liquids and grounded in its experience and expertise. Each set of releases will showcase the breadth and depth of the its whiskey-making credentials inclusive of age, blending, mash bill, distillation, barrels, rackhouse locations, and more.
This year’s inaugural Hardin’s Creek series launched with two expressions: Jacob’s Well Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Colonel James B. Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Jacob’s Well is a blend of two aged expressions, one 16-year-old traditional bourbon and one 15-year-old high-rye bourbon. This edition pays tribute to the first family distiller, Jacob Beam, and the well he built in 1795. What first served as a water source would later represent a legacy built from one generation to the next. Freddie Noe distilled it using barrels laid down years ago , which he then hand-selected and blended.
The repeal of Prohibition ushered in a new age of opportunity and Colonel James B. Beam was quick to seize the moment. Setting out to rebuild what had been lost and build upon it further. It took just 120 days for Colonel Beam, also known as Jim Beam, to get Clermont Distillery up and running again. In honor of the his legacy, this limited-edition two-year-old whiskey achieves a depth of flavor usually by taking it off the still at a lower distillation proof, imparting more flavor from the fermentation process and letting the barrel’s characteristics shine through at a younger age. In making this whiskey, Noe was inspired by the style of bourbon the Colonel was making on day 121.
“We couldn’t be more excited to launch Hardin’s Creek, particularly after the refresh of the James B. Beam Distillery and the opening of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. This has been a long time in the making, and I can’t wait to share it with the world,” said Freddie Noe, Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. “Every detail, from the blending techniques to the labels, draws inspiration from centuries of our family’s history, paying homage to our heritage while looking towards our future.”
The Fred B. Noe Distillery was named after seventh-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe, with the intent of producing innovative products as part of the next generation of whiskey such as Little Book and Booker’s. On May 12, Freddie Noe was officially named the Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery, announced by his father, Master Distiller Fred Noe.
Today, the Beam name is synonymous with bourbon, and that all started with Johannes Jacob Beam, the forefather of America’s first family of bourbon. In 1795, Beam set down roots in the foothills of Western Kentucky. He started with a well to draw water from a nearby creek. That water powered a mill to grind fields of corn, which formed Beam’s earliest mashes. That creek, Hardin’s Creek, became the first source of his family’s enduring legacy.
Hardin’s Creek Jacob’s Well Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey retails for $149.99. Hardin’s Creek Colonel James B. Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey retails for $79.99. Both will be available this July.
