Little Book is the nickname for Freddie Noe. His family says he is very much like his grandfather, Booker Noe. It is only appropriate that the first whiskey bottled for him is named “Little Book”. Freddie had a hand in designing this whiskey. It is very different from Booker’s in that it is not a Bourbon. In fact there is no Bourbon in the bottle. It is a blend of whiskeys but not an American Blend since there is no grain neutral spirits in the blend. It is a blend of 8 year old Kentucky Rye Whiskey, 40 year old Canadian Whiskey and 13 year old Canadian Rye Whiskey. It is a very interesting blend of whiskeys. It is a bit tannic but you expect that from such old whiskeys. It does not give the percentages of each whiskey and I suspect the majority of the liquid is the Kentucky Rye, but the older whiskeys certainly have a huge impact on the flavor. I suspect that most people are going to either love or hate this whiskey. If you like a very wood forward whiskey you are going to love it. If you are looking for a complex, fruity, spicy and sweet whiskey, not so much. Today I am again joined by Matt Kohorst in tasting this whiskey. We both agree that they have done an exceptional job in creating a unique product to honor the latest generation of the Noe family.
Little Book Blended Whiskey
Proof: 118.8
Age: 8 years old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel and brown sugar, lots of oak, ripe apples and a hint of cinnamon.
- Matt: Sweet apples, caramel and brown sugar.
Taste:
- Mike: Lots of oak up front with some candy apples – apple, brown sugar and cinnamon. Tasted with a dried cranberry reduces the oak, but it is still strong and the flavor is like an apple-cinnamon roll. Tasted with a pecan and the flavor is muted – the apple and caramel is still there but dried out by the tannins of the pecan and the oak in the whiskey.
- Matt: Charred oak and caramel are the dominant flavors. The dried cranberry brought out the apple fruit and the pecan muted the flavors to the point it was one dimensional with oak.
Finish:
- Mike: Long and dry with oak and cinnamon. The cranberry made the finish more spicy and less oak. The pecan made the oak dominate the finish.
- Matt: Very creamy like a “Charleston Chew” candy. The cranberry gave a note of cherries to the finish and the pecan made the oak the prominent flavor in the finish.
The cigar I have chosen to pair with this whiskey is a Rocky Patel “Winter Collection” cigar. I find the smoke to be a bit chocolate forward with some cedar spice. The whiskey enhanced the spice in the smoke while the smoke made the whiskey very creamy with a hint of dark chocolate. A very good pairing.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller