Little Book Chapter 9 – None for Granted Review
Little Book Chapter 9: ‘None For Granted’, is a masterpiece crafted by Freddie Noe, the eighth-generation Beam Family Master Distiller. Featuring a complex blend of five unique and mature Kentucky straight whiskeys, this limited-edition blended American whiskey pays tribute to the foundational flavors that have shaped modern American whiskey. Grab a glass of something you enjoy and sip with me while I work on this Little Book Chapter 9 – None for Granted review.
Freddie Noe says, “None for Granted is my way of paying homage to the founding flavors that made modern American Whiskey.”
None for Granted is a blend of five different Kentucky straight whiskeys:
- 11 yrs Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 8 yrs Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
- 8 yrs Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a brown-rice bourbon mash bill
- 7 yrs Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 7 yrs Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a 5-day fermentation rather than the normal 3-day
Classification: Kentucky Straight Whiskey
Age: Blend of five 7 to 11 year whiskeys
Proof: 121.8
Proof Designation: Barrel Proof
Batch Designation: Small Batch
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: Undisclosed
Still Type: Undisclosed
Barrel Char Level: Undisclosed
Barrel Entry Proof: Undisclosed
Distillate Source: Undisclosed
Distillery: James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Company: Beam Suntory, Inc.
Bottled By: James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Distilled/Aging Location: Clermont, Kentucky
Master Distiller: Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Master Distiller
Release Date: July 2025
MSRP: $160 (2025)
Secondary Market: $250
Availability: Somewhat Available
Little Book Chapter 9 – None for Granted Review
July 7, 2025
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
For this tasting: Fresh crack (about 1 hour), Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes
Legs
After swirling the glass, beads form on the crown at about 8 seconds, the legs befin to form at about 22 seconds, and the first legs reach the bowl at about 45 seconds.
Nose
Fig, brown sugar, nutmeg, butterscotch, a hint of toasted marshmallow, vanilla.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: Certainly smells like (Jim) Beam. Big vanilla, big oak. A little toasted oak, a little oak char, slightest hint of a toffy note. I’m not really getting any rye notes.
Whiskey is a Journey: A little nutty note and its up-front spicy. I not getting a big blast of the traditional bourbon notes (brown sugar, caramel, vanilla). But of those three, vanilla is the dominate note on the nose. It is proofy and spicy. If I search for it, I think I can find some oak, but its not the dominant note.
Dramguard: Caramel covered green apple, mixed nuts in the shell, a really rich vanilla.
Palate
Baking spices, caramel, dark brown sugar, aged vanilla, oak, leather, mild barrel char, a hint of cedar, cinnamon, mild orange. Complex and nicely balanced.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: Very delicious on first sip. Super sweet. Its pretty delicious. Its Jim Beam with a little bit of an elevated sweetness. There’s a real nice vanilla cakey note to it, almost like vanilla icing. Toffy, a little bit of an orange note, a little citrus punch.
Whiskey is a Journey: Spice forward, and mid-palate I’m hit pretty hard with a minty note. A little further back I get a little bitterness… Rising spice, and then all those traditional bour notes, the caramel, the vanilla, and brown sugar kick in. A very subtle nuttiness. Some oak bitterness under the tongue. It reminds me of a Booker’s.
Dramguard: I get more of a rye influence than a bourbon influence. Vanilla, mixed nuts, well-seasoned oak, sweet peppery oak. I like it. It’s pretty good.
Finish
Medium-long with vanilla, baking spices, cloves, leather, toasted oak, a hint of mocha and licorice, and a hint of orange peel.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: A little bit of the rye on the back end, a little bit of a mint characteristic. It has a great mouthfeel.
Whiskey is a Journey: The finish is not as long as I expected it to be.
Dramguard: It has an almond note to it.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is pleasantly Silken, but not Creamy or Unctuous.
Mouthfeel Rating Guide: Thin = Watery | Silken = smooth & slippery, but not mouth coating | Creamy = coats the tongue like heavy cream does. | Rich or Unctuous = coats the entire palate like quality olive oil
The Burn
4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 100 proof, not 109.22 proof.
Tasting Summary
Little Book “None for Granted” hits the palate with baking spices and assorted dark sweet flavors: aged vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, oak, caramel, nutmeg, barrel char, leather, a hint of cedar, a touch of orange peel and a little mocha.
Going back to the glass, the flavors build and change in a very pleasing way. This is a complex, enjoyable whiskey.
Pass, Bar, Buy, or Bunker?
Rating: BUNKER- If you can afford the price, the None for Granted Little Book is worth bunkering. It’s delicious.
Rating Scale:
PASS – I wish that I had never put this in my mouth!
BAR – I don’t love it or hate it…I suggest trying this in a bar before purchasing it.
BUY – I would buy it once…maybe more.
BUNKER – Love this! I want a back-up bottle…or 3.
My Rating
The higher the score the better the whiskey is in my opinion. For reference, my best rated bottle so far is the George T. Stagg 2022 (138.7p) with a score of 9.7.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 8.5 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
Notes and History
Freddie Noe, the Eighth Generation Master Distiller at Beam, crafts each expression of Little Book from the ground up. This particular line of whiskey is a homage to his nickname “Little Book” given to Freddie by his renowned grandfather, Booker Noe. Booker Noe is celebrated for many achievements, including his pivotal role in popularizing cask-strength, small-batch whiskey through Booker’s Bourbon, a sought after product that remains available today. Notably, both Booker’s Bourbon and Little Book are bottled at cask strength and are not chill-filtered.
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