The folks at Beam Suntory have been busy working on the Jim Beam Distillery. They’ve just announced a massive $60 million investment into the distillery and visitor experience, a distillery name change and the creation of a new distillery to honor one of America’s finest distillers.
The news was shared at press conference at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky by Beam Suntory President & CEO Albert Baladi, Jim Beam Seventh Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe and Eighth Generation Master Distiller Freddie Noe.
“Beam Suntory is excited to honor our roots by investing in the James B. Beam Distilling Co., and setting ourselves up for a bright future in Kentucky and around the world,” said Baladi. “With nearly 225 years behind us, we are proud of our history of entrepreneurialism, craftsmanship and innovation. As the world leader in bourbon, we are thrilled to be laying the foundation for the next 225 years.”
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. was the company’s name immediately following Prohibition and will serve as the name of Beam Suntory’s Clermont, Kentucky location going forward.
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Ground Breaking for The Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery
The face of the Jim Beam brand today is no doubt 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe (on the right in the photo above.) The company is honoring Noe by naming a new distillery after him as The Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery. This new distillery will be on the grounds of the James B. Beam Distilling Co. and will serve as the home for small-batch bourbons like Booker’s and Baker’s, the next-generation brand Little Book, created by 8th generation Beam Distiller Freddie Noe, and serve as a functional production facility to explore new fermentation and distillation techniques.
“At Beam Suntory, we like to say that we’re all One Big Family, and what we’re beginning here today reinforces our leadership in bourbon, and sets us up for the future,” said Freddie Noe. “Now I can’t think of anyone who’s set up the future of bourbon any better than my dad, so I can hardly begin to express my pride in naming this new distillery after him.”
Here are some renderings of The Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery provided by Joseph & Joseph Architects.
The company says as part of its tourism investment, Beam Suntory will elevate its visitor experience in Clermont and give consumers more reasons to visit, including behind-the-scenes tour across the family of brands from Jim Beam to Basil Hayden’s to Legent, a tasting room, and new customizable experiences.
Beam Suntory owns the Jim Beam Bourbon brand as well as nearby Maker’s Mark Bourbon brand. Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining Jim Beam and Suntory whisky Kakubin to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good. Other brands include Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and Legent bourbon; Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Toki Japanese whisky; Teacher’s, Laphroaig and Bowmore Scotch whisky; Canadian Club whisky; Hornitos and Sauza tequila; EFFEN, Haku and Pinnacle vodka; Sipsmith and Roku gin; and Midori liqueur. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan.
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