Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece Collection NV (3 BT75)

Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece Collection NV

"Collection of three bottles of Jim Beam Masterpiece comprising:

Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece 50.0 abv,Finished in PX casks, 50.0 abv, bottle code: L4335CLL015301759, ullage top shoulder, original wooden case very worn

Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece 18 Year Old 49.5 abv, finished in Cognac casks, bottle no. 4602, ullage: mid shoulder, front label slightly worn, original presentation case worn and slightly damaged

Jim Beam Distillers Masterpiece 20 Year Old 49.0 abv, finished in Port Casks, 49.0 abv, bottle no. 1019, ullage: top shoulder, front neck label damaged and scuffed, original presentation case damaged, scuffed and torn"

3 bts 75cl (nop)

Distiller’s Masterpiece is a priceless piece of whiskey history, a brilliant bourbon that can never be replicated. First released in 1999, it was the latest – and arguably the last – great innovation from Booker Noe, the legendary master distiller at Jim Beam and a grandson of Mr. Beam himself. Noe had pioneered premium bourbon in the 1980s with Booker’s, an uncut, unfiltered whiskey; he followed that up with several other small-batch expressions, including Baker’s, Basil Hayden and Knob Creek. Each was designed to appeal to a different sort of whiskey drinker – Basil Hayden is smooth and low in proof, Booker’s is rough and powerful – and all were sold at prices usually associated with single-malt scotch. Who would pay $40 for a bottle of bourbon? But Noe’s bet was the right one, and all four whiskeys in the Small Batch Collection quickly developed a fan base. [CR1] 

Noe had more ideas in mind. He had sold several barrels of bourbon to a Japanese buyer who wanted to age them longer than usual, but when the 1990s Asian financial crisis hit, the buyer had to sell them back. By then they were over 16 years old, with a pronounced woody note, but also a lot of delicious caramel and vanilla. Beam already had a relationship with Fussigny, a cognac house, and so Noe used their casks to age half the bourbon for about another year.

It was a big bet.

But Noe wasn’t finished. Clearly, people would pay premium prices for good bourbon. Would they pay luxury prices for great, one-of-a-kind bourbon? Finishing was common in scotch whiskey, but no American had followed suit. Would drinkers follow?

Noe decided to find out with Distiller’s Masterpiece. In hindsight, Noe anticipated many of the characteristics that define ultra-premium bourbon today. For one thing, it came with a stated age of 18 years, much older than almost any other bourbon on the market. Very old bourbon wasn’t all that rare, but few distillers believed that people would pay more for it, so they often blended it with younger whiskey. Noe thought otherwise.

Other innovations included finishing it in cognac casks, bought from the famed Fussigny house. Finishing was common in scotch whiskey, but while some American distillers had toyed with the idea before, no one had gone through with it, assuming that the word cognac on the label would be a turnoff for many American drinkers. He packaged it in a sensuous, broad-shouldered bottle with a weighty stopper, looking more like a French brandy than an American whiskey; the bottle was then framed in a wooden box, again something common with expensive single malts but largely unheard of in the United States. And he sold it in very small quantities, available only at the Jim Beam American Stillhousegift shop, the company’s visitor center. But what really set Distiller’s Masterpiece apart was the price: $250, far more than any other American whiskey at the time.

Despite the quality and uniqueness of Distiller’s Masterpiece, it was all too much for most bourbon drinkers. Bottles sat on the shelf, gathering dust while visitors snapped up much cheaper bottles of Jim Beam White Label and the Small Batch Collection. Undaunted, Noe released a second edition in 2000, this time at 20 years old and finished in port casks. It too languished, and Noe conceded defeat. He died in 2004, his legacy intact but his “masterpiece” already forgotten.

Noe’s son Fred resurrected Distiller’s Masterpiece in 2013. By then, bourbon was booming, and more fans were willing to pay a little more for quality and, more important, exclusivity. This edition was likewise finished, in casks that had once held Pedro Ximenez sherry, though it did not carry an age statement. And while it was available mostly at the American Stillhouse, Noe arranged for small amounts to be shipped to retailers in California, New York and a few other states.

Again like his father, Noe released a second edition a year later, also finished in Pedro Ximenez casks, and both releases were priced at $250. Unfortunately, once more the bottles went unloved and unpurchased, and another Noe had to admit that he had misread the market.

But the Noes, father and son, were ultimately proven right by time. Barrel-finishing and distillery-exclusive offerings are now regular features of the luxury bourbon landscape, and no one thinks twice about $250 whiskey. And Distiller’s Masterpiece is finally getting its due, not only because it is great whiskey, but because of its newfound recognition as a bourbon ahead of its time. It is almost impossible to find in stores, and it would take years to collect them all – but all three are included in this auction, as a single lot.

Please note that all spirits are sold for collection in New York or shipment to the District of Columbia, New Hampshire and New York via specialized carriers. For delivery outside of the United States, please see Important Information for Purchases at Wine and Spirit Sales in the Conditions of Business.