Just in Time for Gifting Season, Beam Is Releasing These 3 Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbons in a Sampler Pack
Freddie Noe is pictured diligently at work. The eighth-generation master distiller was responsible for the Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series (Photos: Beam-Suntory)
Beam Suntory announced the release of the Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series tri-pack on Wednesday. The tri-pack consists of a 200-milliliter bottle of each Hardin’s Creek Kentucky Series expression: Clermont, Frankfort and Boston. The pack hosts a suggested retail price of $170.
The 2023 editions of the Hardin’s Creek series showcase the impact terroir has on the final flavor of whiskey. Each whiskey in the series is made the same way with one key difference: the location. Each expression was aged for exactly 17 years at a different Beam Kentucky location. All three bourbons clock in at 55% ABV.
Each expression is named after the specific Kentucky-based James B. Beam Distilling Co. facility where it was matured. The series debuted in June with the Clermont expression which received a score of 8/10 at Whiskey Raiders. In August, the brand released the Hardin’s Creek Frankfort expression, which received the same impressively high score. Hardin’s Creek concluded its series with a final expression matured in the Beam facility based out of Boston Kentucky, which received yet another 8.
“The Kentucky series is a testament to the influence of location and how nature plays such a vital role in liquid maturation,” eighth-generation Beam Master Distiller Freddie Noe said in a news release. “While these three bourbons were made with the same mashbill and aged in Kentucky, the micro-climates and environments at each location are distinctly different, which greatly impacts the taste of each product. As my Granddaddy Booker Noe said, ‘Set it and let nature take over.'”
Those looking to purchase the kit can pick it up at specialized retailers or order it online at ReserveBar.
The Hardin’s Creek line debuted in 2022. The distillery released it as part of an attempt to “chart the ongoing story of the Beam family legacy, one that is more than 227 years in the making, through highly limited and rare releases,” according to the brand.
Hardin’s Creek 2023 Kentucky Series Tasting Notes, Via the Brand
Hardin’s Creek Clermont
Nose: Burnt sugar tripled with matured toasted oak and vanilla.
Taste: Forward caramelized oak, followed by brown spices and hints of seasoned leather.
Finish: Smooth, sweet, with lingering warmth.
Hardin’s Creek Frankfort
Nose: Delicate oak wood with hints of campfire and cigar box.
Taste: Concentrated sweet caramel, raisin, sweet floral tobacco.
Finish: Sweet oak, aged wood tones.
Hardin’s Creek Boston
Nose: Toasted marshmallow, dark chocolate, slight coconut.
Taste: Soft caramel with vanilla, and oak tones. Coupled with hazelnut.
Finish: Sweet baking spices.
Follow The Daily Pour:
