2025-02 “By the Pond” Bourbon

We didn't always have a pond in the backyard. But then Dad decided he wanted one to raise catfish and bluegill, so we'd always have fresh fish for supper. And that was that. Next thing I knew, Dad put me and some buddies to work: digging the pond, filling it up, making it homey enough for those fish. After a few days, the pond Dad had dreamed up was right behind our house. 

But it wasn't all smooth sailing. At first, the pond leaked, so we put in a liner held down with big stones. Then, after realizing the city water was no good for fish, Dad rigged a system to bring in fresh rainwater. And finally, we had to figure out what to do about the fifty-foot maple tree looming above it. When its leaves fell, they covered the whole pond. Dad set up a net to catch them on the water's surface, but all he ended up catching was the fish underneath, finding dozens of them tangled up in it each morning. Eventually he put a roof over the pond, and it became something more: a place to reflect. It was where he sat with Freddie as a boy for hours on end, and where he enjoyed plenty of those warm Kentucky days. I think it's one of the places he felt most at peace. 

I hope you savor this batch in a place where you go find your own bit of happiness, wherever that may be. So go off, and enjoy. 

- Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller