Little Book Chapter 8 “Path not taken”

Butterscotch, toasted rye bread, fresh dill, amontillado sherry, and citrus Floral notes, sweet apricot, heavy oak, gingerbread, and honey Peppery bite that softens with water, evolving into a lingering cinnamon and citrus aftertaste Each year, eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe digs into Jim Beam’s gargantuan barrel stocks to produce a unique iteration of Little Book, his hallmark blended whiskey. Previous iterations have included rye, bourbon, rice whiskey, and even decades-old stock from a Canadian sister distillery. Each blend’s uniqueness is matched by its esoteric character, with Noe’s guiding palate the only real consistency from batch to batch. To adulterate one of Tom Hanks’ most famous lines, with Little Book, you never know what you’re gonna get. The 2024 release of Little Book — Chapter 8, for those keeping track — is dubbed “Path Not Taken.” According to a company press release, Path Not Taken is “about reimagining the variety that rye grain has to offer and pushing the limits of what it can be.” It’s a blended American whiskey containing an eye-popping seven different components, including six ryes and one highly-aged bourbon: For context, “Kentucky style” generally means a rye whiskey just at or above the legally mandated 51 percent rye in its mashbill. “Pennsylvania style” likely refers to Beam’s growing stocks of rye made with an 80 percent rye, 20 percent malted barley mash (utilized in its recent A. Overholt release).