Beam, Straight Up

Written by the 7th generation Beam family member and Master Distiller, Frederick Booker Noe III, Beam, Straight Up is the first book to be written by a Beam, the family behind the 217-year whiskey dynasty and makers of one of the world's best-selling bourbons. This book features family history and the evolution of bourbon, including Fred's storied youth "growing up Beam" in Bardstown, Kentucky; his transition from the bottling line to renowned global bourbon ambassador; and his valuable business insights on how to maintain and grow a revered brand.

• Includes details of Fred Noe's life on the road, spreading the bourbon gospel
• Describes Fred's journey to becoming the face of one of America's most iconic brands
• Shares a simple primer on how bourbon is made
• Offers cocktail and food recipes

For anyone wanting a behind the scenes look at Jim Beam, and an understanding of the bourbon industry, Beam, Straight Up will detail the family business, and its role in helping to shape it.

Prologue ix

Foreword Kid Rock xi

Chapter 1 A Little History 1

Chapter 2 A Kentucky Boyhood 23

Chapter 3 Booker: Yes, Sir. 49

Chapter 4 College Man 71

Chapter 5 Starting Out 87

Chapter 6 The Making of a Bourbon Ambassador 101

Chapter 7 Road Warrior 115

Chapter 8 The World Isn’t As Big As I Thought 129

Chapter 9 Bourbon and Change 143

Chapter 10 The Beam Way: How to Build a Company That Lasts 155

Chapter 11 Home 169

Appendix 177
Cocktails 177
Hangover Cure 182
Cooking with Bourbon 182

Acknowledgments 193

Index 195

FRED NOE is the great-grandson of the legendary distiller, Jim Beam, as well as Beam Inc.’s Global Brand Ambassador and Master Distiller. He is the seventh-generation distilling Beam.

JIM KOKORIS is a longtime family friend, spokesperson, and publicist for the Beams. He is also the author of three novels: The Rich Part of Life, Sister North, and The Pursuit of Other Interests.

From the moment newborn Frederick Booker Noe III arrived home from the hospital in a spanking new 1957 Ford Fairlane that his father spent his last dime on, his family had high hopes. As the seventh generation of the world’s most famous whiskey-making family, would the young Fred be up to the task of carrying on the 217-year-old legacy of the world’s largest bourbon company and one of the world’s best known whiskies, Jim Beam Bourbon? Beam, Straight Up chronicles Fred’s long and, at times, wild and hilarious journey of doing just that, while offering an insider’s look at this centuries-old dynasty.

The first member of the Beam clan to document its illustrious history, Fred shares his own tales of “growing up Beam” in Bardstown, Kentucky, the “Bourbon Capitol of the World,” and dives even further into the growth of one of the world’s best-selling bourbons. Starting at the bottling line where he began his career, he describes the long and circuitous route he took to become a renowned global bourbon ambassador and the face of one of America’s most iconic brands. Along the way, Fred dispenses time-tested, quality business insights on how to maintain and grow a revered brand, along with a well-rounded view of the bourbon industry, the Jim Beam brand, and his role in shaping it, including:

• The making of a bourbon ambassador, from learning to speak “City-Southern” to an education in the distilling process
• A simple primer on how bourbon is made, from the effects of the American white oak barrel to the importance of the sweet limestone Kentucky water
• The art of making your own stories and establishing your reputation, and the role that reputation plays in selling your product
• How the Jim Beam family helped shape today’s thriving bourbon industry

For anyone looking to build a brand or a business that lasts, Beam, Straight Up offers colorful but invaluable business advice and insights that will help you establish your own legacy.