Little Book Chapter 1 "The Easy" Blended Straight Whiskey 750ml

Little Book Chapter 1 "The Easy" is the inaugural release of the Little Book series — the debut whiskey of Freddie Noe, 8th generation distiller of the Beam family and grandson of the legendary Booker Noe. The name Little Book comes from the nickname Booker gave Freddie as a child, a nod to his resemblance to his grandfather, and the series was Freddie's first opportunity to step out from the long shadows of Booker and Fred Noe and demonstrate his own creative voice as a blender. That voice, it turned out, was ambitious from the very first page. "The Easy" is not a bourbon. It is a blended straight whiskey assembled from four distinct straight whiskey components, each representing one of the core grain categories found in a traditional bourbon mashbill — approached here not as a single ferment but as four finished and fully matured spirits brought together in precise proportion. The blend comprises a 13-year-old straight corn whiskey aged in used barrels, a 4-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, and both straight rye and straight malt whiskeys each aged approximately 6 years in new charred barrels. No neutral spirit, no added color, and no flavoring — all of which are permitted under the blended whiskey category but deliberately excluded here. Released in October 2017, uncut and unfiltered at 128.2 proof and 64.1% ABV, presented in the signature Little Book black wood box with glass panel. As the first chapter in a now-established annual series and the only expression in the lineup that has never been repeated, this is an irreplaceable inaugural collector's piece from the Beam family archive.

ABV / Proof

Tasting Notes

Color: Rich chestnut amber — deep and warm, reflecting the 13-year corn whiskey backbone and natural unfiltered character.

Nose: Sweet and heady — cherry jam, vanilla, and butter with caramel and hints of grain and smoky wood. The corn whiskey dominates the opening aromatics with a richness that immediately signals something different from a standard bourbon.

Palate: Caramel and vanilla lead with toasted nuts and an evolving rye spice — ginger, cloves, and red pepper building through the mid-palate. Dark fruit, popcorn-driven corn sweetness, and a hint of smoke from the malt component weave together. The mouthfeel is rich and full; four distinct spirits made into something greater than the sum of its parts.

Finish: Medium to long and complex — rye spice and oak linger alongside honey sweetness and corn grain. A racy, layered close that reflects the ambition of the blend.

FAQ

Why is Little Book Chapter 1 not a bourbon?
"The Easy" is classified as a blended straight whiskey rather than bourbon because it is assembled from four different straight whiskeys — corn, bourbon, rye, and malt — each distilled from a single grain and matured separately, then brought together after the fact. Bourbon requires all grains to be mashed, fermented, and distilled together. By working with finished single-grain straight whiskeys, Freddie deconstructed the bourbon mashbill into its component parts and reassembled them as a blender. No neutral spirit, no color, and no flavoring were added, which makes this far more craft-intensive than most American blended whiskeys.

What makes this the No. 001 inaugural release so collectible?
Chapter 1 "The Easy" was released in October 2017 as Freddie Noe's first-ever whiskey and the opening chapter of what is now a well-established annual series. Every subsequent chapter has used an entirely different blending concept — Chapter 2 incorporated 40-year-old Canadian whisky, later chapters have used Scotch, Japanese whisky, and more. Chapter 1 will never be repeated and represents the beginning of Freddie's creative legacy in its own right, making it a foundational piece for any serious Beam family or Little Book collector.

How does Little Book relate to Booker's Bourbon?
Little Book is Freddie Noe's personal annual series, while Booker's Bourbon is the flagship barrel proof series of his father Fred Noe. Both are produced at James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky, and both are released uncut and unfiltered. The "Little Book" nickname comes from Booker Noe, Freddie's grandfather, who coined it because of Freddie's resemblance to him. If you're building a Noe family collection, we also carry multiple current and back vintage Booker's Bourbon named batch releases — check our store for availability.

Where can I buy Little Book Chapter 1 The Easy online?
Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.