Hall of Fame

A seventh-generation master distiller, the great-grandson of Jim Beam and the son of Frederick ‘Booker’ Noe Jr., Fred Noe III has curated a level of expertise within the industry that is truly top-class. With that he has rightfully earned his place in whiskey history and alongside that, his position as the 69th inductee to the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame.

Fred was born Frederick Booker Noe III in Bardstown, Kentucky on 9 March, 1957. His formative years were spent growing up in the same house that his great grandfather had previously lived in.

Fred’s life was steeped in whiskey culture from the word go and, upon his graduation from Bellarmine College in 1983, he began working on the bottling line at the Jim Beam Clermont Distillery. From this point, under the watchful eye of his father, Fred gained an in-depth knowledge of every aspect of the Bourbon-making process that would create the foundation of his lengthy career as master distiller at Jim Beam, a role which he stepped into in 2003.

Fred’s role as the chief Bourbon ambassador for Jim Beam has made him widely versed in the intricacies of the Bourbon industry as a whole. This role has also given him the ability to hone his oratory skills by providing an entertaining voice for the distillery itself on a worldwide scale.

During the past 18 years, Fred has worked tirelessly to expand the portfolio on offer from the distillery. He remains instrumental in the Beam business, dedicating his life’s work to perfecting the family’s closely protected Bourbon-making process and, of course, the legacy of Jim Beam.