LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Five years ago, the Jim Beam Institute partnered with the University of Kentucky, and their annual conference has become a big hit among bourbon industry members. From rookie distillers to the stalwarts who’ve been on the trail for decades, the three-day conference at UK has something for everyone.
“A lot of people think it’s just a handful of folks who make whiskey, roll the barrels, and bottle it, but there’s a lot more to it,” said eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe from Jim Beam. “There’s the business side, finance, marketing, as well as operations, and engineering opportunities as well,” he continued.
For the next three days, all of it, and then some, will be discussed during this conference, where they come to share ideas on everything from the aging process to getting products to move off store shelves. Even as competitors, they might even share some trade secrets.
“It kind of depends on what it is,” Noe joked. If you’re going to ask me about yeast, that’s kind of off-limits for us because we’ve had the same yeast in the family for a long time, and we protect it tight. But everything else — information, research sharing, data- is kind of an open book,” he continued.
Noe added that it’s always been a gentleman’s business along the trail, and the distillers usually support one another and help each other. He said that’s why you’ll see so many of them in one place at a conference like this week’s.
“Continue to spur that creative thought. How do we make our product better and maximize the relevance we have today?” he asked about the conference's goals.
Bourbon’s popularity has never been questioned in the Commonwealth, but it’s become a global sensation recently. Noe has a theory behind that growth.
“We’re one of the only whiskeys that uses a new cask,” he began to explain. That sugar in the woods really turns into vanilla and caramels; it’s a lot of sweet notes that really give positive attributes to the liquid,” he added.
The Jim Beam Institute conference at UK runs until Wednesday at 4 p.m. Noe said everyone, from novices to industry veterans, is welcome.
