The Three-Part Release Explores ‘Kentucky Terroir’ Through the Lens of the Beam Family’s Distilling Campuses

Clermont, Kentucky (June 01, 2023) – Today, the James B. Beam Distilling Co. announced the launch of the Hardin’s Creek™ Kentucky Series, a three-part release of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys that mark the next installment in the brand’s collection of ultra-rare expressions. Comprised of Hardin’s Creek Clermont, Hardin’s Creek Frankfort and Hardin’s Creek Boston, the Kentucky Series takes whiskey fans on a journey of ‘Kentucky terroir,’ showcasing the influence of diverse landscapes on the flavor profile of each whiskey.

Each expression within The Kentucky Series is a 17-year-old Bourbon, aged at one of three James B. Beam Distilling Company campuses: Clermont, Frankfort and Boston. All three liquids were laid down with the same mash bill at the same time seventeen years ago but aged at different campus locations.

“The Kentucky Series is a testament to the influence of location and how nature plays such a vital role in liquid maturation,” said Freddie Noe, Eighth Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. “While these three bourbons were made with the same mash bill 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.’”

Launched in 2022, Hardin’s Creek is a series of ongoing releases featuring some of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s rarest and most unique whiskeys, grounded in rich distilling expertise. The releases showcase the breadth and depth of the James B. Beam Distilling Co’s whiskey-making credentials inclusive of age, blending, mash bill, distillation, barrels, rack house locations, and more.

All three Kentucky Series expressions are best enjoyed neat or served over a large ice cube in a lowball glass where their complex flavors can be appreciated with each sip.

Expressions of the Kentucky Series will be released in limited quantities throughout this year, beginning with Clermont on June 1st, Frankfort on August 1st and Boston on September 1st. For real-time information about Hardin’s Creek, we encourage whiskey fans to follow along on Instagram @HardinsCreek or visit www.hardinscreek.com.

HARDIN’S CREEK KENTUCKY SERIES, CLERMONT – 55% ABV | Suggested Retail Price: $169.99
The first expression from the Kentucky Series is Hardin’s Creek Clermont, aged at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont and bottled at the grand age of 204 months. The nuanced terroir and microclimates shaped by the rigid and rolling hills, the cool wind against the shelter of the valleys, and the pockets of rack houses placed close together, are aglow year-round beneath the strong Kentucky sunlight, making the unique contours of Clermont discernable in every pour.

“When I think of the terroir of Kentucky, I think of Clermont,” said Freddie Noe, Eighth Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery.

TASTING NOTES: CLERMONT
COLOR        Rich amber with darker tones
NOSE        Burnt sugar tripled with matured toasted oak and sweet vanilla
PALATE        Forward caramelized oak, followed by brown spices and hints of seasoned leather
FINISH        Smooth & sweet with lingering warmth

HARDIN’S CREEK KENTUCKY SERIES, FRANKFORT – 55% ABV | Suggested Retail Price: $169.99
The second expression from the Kentucky Series is Hardin’s Creek Frankfort, aged on the Frankfort campus and bottled at 204 months. The creek bed at the Frankfort campus covers the storied rack houses in a blanket of humidity, making everything age more slowly. Liquid ages at its own pace with little ventilation and a lot of time. More information to come upon Frankfort introduction on August 1.

HARDIN’S CREEK KENTUCKY SERIES, BOSTON – 55% ABV | Suggested Retail Price: $169.99
The Booker Noe campus in Boston, Kentucky is one of a kind. The rack houses are spread out generously in the golden sunshine and clear air, ideal for maturation. These unique conditions mean fast, richer aging. It’s bold and characterful, much like Booker Noe himself. More information to come upon Boston introduction on September 1.

About Hardin’s Creek
Hardin’s Creek is a series of ongoing releases featuring some of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s rarest and most unique whiskeys, grounded in 227 years of rich experience and distilling expertise. The brand launched in 2022 with its inaugural expressions, Jacob’s Well and Colonel James B. Beam, and released The Kentucky Series in 2023. Each release will showcase the breadth and depth of the James B. Beam Distilling Co’s whiskey-making credentials inclusive of age, blending, mash bill, distillation, barrels, rackhouse locations, and more. Hardin’s Creek celebrates whiskey’s past while charting its future.

About Beam Suntory
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires the brilliance of life by delivering great consumer experiences through its world-class portfolio of brands.  Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam®, Maker’s Mark®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek® bourbons; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Teacher’s, Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Beam Suntory also produces leading brands such as Courvoisier® cognac, Tres Generaciones®, El Tesoro® and Hornitos® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, Canadian Club® whisky, and is a world leader in ready-to-drink cocktails, with brands like -196 and On The Rocks™ Premium Cocktails.

A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries, one of Beam Suntory’s core values is Growing for Good and through its Proof Positive sustainability strategy, the company has committed to ambitious goals and investments to promote environmental sustainability in its operations, ensure the company has a positive impact on the communities where employees live and work, and programs to educate and inform consumers to make the right personal choices about drinking. Headquartered in New York City, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Celebrating the ultimate expression of Scotland’s whisky heritage captured through a Japanese lens

London, 5th June 2023 – Today, Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits and producer of some of the foremost whiskies, unveiled the company’s latest creation – ARDRAY® – an exquisite new interpretation of blended Scotch whisky. Balancing Scotland’s unique terroir and long-standing craft tradition with the precision and artistry of Suntory’s award-winning Japanese blenders, ARDRAY promises a fresh perspective on the excellence of blended Scotch.

Beam Suntory’s Chief Blender for Scotch, Calum Fraser, in partnership with Suntory’s blending team, tested nearly 200 different whisky combinations before arriving at the final harmony of flavours that make up ARDRAY. The wonderfully balanced blended recipe interweaves some of Scotland’s finest, most complex signature malts and grain whiskies together to an optimal precise ratio. The result is a whisky designed to challenge preconceptions, treating both malt and grain whiskies as equals to create a whisky that is truly greater than the sum of its parts.

With inspiration from historic blend styles and the vision of Suntory’s founder Shinjiro Torii, ARDRAY celebrates the quest to reimagine the historic excellence of blended scotch and encourage a greater appreciation for the art of blending. A hundred years ago, inspired by traditional Scottish whisky, Torii-San envisioned a Japanese approach to create a subtle, refined, yet complex whisky that would suit the delicate palate of the Japanese. With this remarkable blend, we honour Torii’s quest, from a reinterpretation of Scotch for the Japanese palate to ARDRAY: a new, elegant interpretation, designed to celebrate the excellence of blended Scotch Whisky.

Built on the premise that blended whisky is an art form that deserves both respect and reappraisal, each batch is precisely engineered to achieve the same harmony between malt and grain whiskies each time. By retaining a proportion of each batch, the team blends this with the next batch and harmonises the flavour of the whisky across the batches.

Calum Fraser, Chief Blender for Scotch, comments: “In creating ARDRAY, we have combined an exceptional selection of the very best Scotch whisky has to offer with the inspiring talent of Suntory’s blending team to create something new, refreshing and exciting. The time, care and attention to detail taken to source both malt and grain whiskies from some of Scotland’s most noted distilleries has allowed us to explore hundreds of blends of Scotch malt and grain whiskies to achieve ARDRAY’s optimum balance of multi-layered flavours. Driven by the desire to ensure the true beauty of this blend is greater than the sum of its parts. ARDRAY promises a rich and complex taste, with a distinctive harmony of flavours: a mild, gently floral, and citrusy fruitiness, with a vanilla custard creaminess and a rich, silky mouthfeel and lengthy aftertaste that is unmatched.”

Drawing from just a handful of the finest Scotch distilleries from Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits and producer of renowned whiskies including Bowmore, Laphroaig, Yamazaki, and Hibiki, and our partners at Edrington (owners of The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Highland Park), this blended Scotch whisky that celebrates the role of terroir and the production traditions of Scotland’s distilleries that define each of their unique spirit character.

Presented in a bespoke bottle each marked with the year of release, the striking artwork of artist Lia Melia adorns each one, capturing Scotland’s raw beauty. Its richly textured rippling pattern representing malt and grain highlights two fundamental ingredients in Scotch whisky. The unique feel of the glass bottle takes after the free-flowing water of Scotland’s streams and rivers, and the patterns made by the wind blowing across barley fields.

From the end of May onwards, a limited batch of under two thousand nine-litre cases of ARDRAY will be for sale in only four cities worldwide: London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and New York. It will then expand to become available in more markets globally.

ARDRAY is now available at The Whisky Shop with an RRP of £60 / $80 / 530RBM.

For more information, visit Ardray.com.

• ABV: 48% and Non-Chill filtered to make the most of the full complex character of the whiskies in the blend
• A malt rich blend of Scottish Malt and Grain Whiskies, blended in annual batches to achieve a unique harmony of flavours – the recipe will be adjusted according to the precise characteristics of the casks used in each batch

RRP

• 70cl General release: $83 / £60 / 530 RMB
• 2x5cl Experience Pack: $28 / £20 / 180 RMB
• Color: Natural light golden, coming directly from years of gentle cask maturation.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma: hints of apple, pear, plum lying over a soft savoury smokiness and hints of oregano and clementine.
• Taste: gentle floral and citrus fruitiness providing a lightness and elegance. As it expands its vanilla custard creaminess and silkiness comes to the fore.
• Mouthfeel: Complex, multi-layered and rich
• Finish: long-lasting, with a mellow, cushioning sweet smokiness and soft hints of white pepper and oregano.

ABOUT ARDRAY 

ARDRAY is a malt-rich blend created using a handful of malts (from no more than 10 distilleries). The aim is only to include the finest and most complex Scotch whiskies, which is why it calls on single malts from the Beam Suntory portfolio (which includes Laphroaig, Bowmore, Ardmore and Glen Garioch), as well as spirits from partners at Edrington (owners of distilleries such as The Macallan, The Glenrothes and Highland Park).

Combining the unique terroir and long-standing tradition with the precision and artistry of Suntory’s whisky blending in Japan, ARDRAY offers a fresh perspective on the excellence of blended Scotch and tells the story of our quest to reimagine the historic excellence of blended scotch through fresh eyes. ARDRAY, meaning ‘towards the light,’ reflects the guidance of Suntory founder, Shinjiro Torii, and the philosophy of monozukuri craftsmanship: a relentless pursuit of perfection, meticulous attention to detail, and a commitment to quality.

To make ARDRAY, grain and malt whiskies were blended at precise ratio increments to find the exact point at which the perfect harmony was achieved. For each batch, casks of each type of whisky are blended first to create ‘building blocks’ then minute adjustments (0.1%) to the recipe are made for each batch based on the exact character of each building block, to achieve the same harmony between malt and grain whiskies each time. We retain a proportion of each batch – of both the building blocks and the blend as it marries (Solera) – to blend with the next batch and harmonise the flavour of the whisky across the batches.

True appreciation of Ardray can also be enhanced further by serving it ‘Off-the-Rocks’ – a fresh perspective on how whisky should be enjoyed – circumventing the old debate over whether to enjoy with ice or water. Poured ‘Off the Rocks’ to achieve the perfect level of chill and dilution by straining the whisky over quality ice.

ABOUT BEAM SUNTORY 

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires the brilliance of life by delivering great consumer experiences through its world-class portfolio of brands.  Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam®, Maker’s Mark®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek® bourbons; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Teacher’s, Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Beam Suntory also produces leading brands such as Courvoisier® cognac, Tres Generaciones®, El Tesoro® and Hornitos® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, Canadian Club® whisky, and is a world leader in ready-to-drink cocktails, with brands like -196 and On The Rocks™ Premium Cocktails.

A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 30 countries, one of Beam Suntory’s core values is Growing for Good and through its Proof Positive sustainability strategy, the company has committed to ambitious goals and investments to promote environmental sustainability in its operations, ensure the company has a positive impact on the communities where employees live and work, and programs to educate and inform consumers to make the right personal choices about drinking. Headquartered in New York City, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com