UK HealthCare

Master distiller, grateful patient creates new bourbon batch to benefit UK Transplant Center

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image of bottle of bourbon with blue label on a black background
Image of Fred and DeeAnn outside the Jim Beam Distillery

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2022) — Fred Noe, master distiller at James B. Beam Distilling Co., knew he was at risk for kidney disease. What he didn’t know was that he didn’t have to look far for help.

“As I did in work, I followed in my dad’s footsteps in health,” said Noe. “He had kidney problems that I expected to also develop with age. What I didn’t expect was to find the answer within my Beam family.”

When DeeAnn Hogan, Noe’s longtime friend and coworker, found out he needed a kidney, she volunteered to be his donor.  

“I'm a pretty giving person,” said Hogan. “I try to do everything for the good of all. And God gave me two kidneys. I only need one, and I'm healthy enough. I take care of myself, and all the stars lined up and it was perfect.”

On April 23, 2021, they drove together to the UK Transplant Center so that Noe could get the transplant and a second chance at life.

“There was no question about where we’d go,” said Noe. “Dr. Malay Shah and the folks at UK HealthCare are not only my neighbors and have known me for years but are some of the most well-respected doctors in their field. I trusted them and wasn’t going anywhere else.”

A year and a half after his kidney transplant, Noe wants to not only give back to the place that saved his life, but he also wants to pay it forward for others who are on a similar transplant journey.

“I wanted to do something special to celebrate those who made this journey possible,” said Noe.

In gratitude, Noe has released a first-ever Booker’s Single Barrel Bourbon to commemorate his appreciation for Shah and the UK HealthCare Transplant Center.

Dubbed “The Second Chance Batch,” Noe said this barrel came from “the sweet spot of my dad’s favorite rickhouse, handpicked by me for my friends at UK HealthCare.”

On Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. EST, Medicinal Whiskey Charity will launch a sweepstakes where three lucky winners will receive a bottle of Booker’s “Second Chance” Single Barrel Bourbon, signed by Fred Noe himself. Proceeds will benefit the UK HealthCare Transplant Center Patient Assistance Fund, which provides support for lodging, travel and dental care for patients seeking transplant. The competition closes at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10. The drawing will be held on Dec. 15.

You can enter the sweepstakes here.

“Like other batches of dad’s bourbon, this one is uncut and unfiltered,” said Noe. “There’s nothing added to it. What’s in the barrel goes in your glass. The taste is full of big, bold discoveries. It stands apart from everything else and should be celebrated, just like DeeAnn and my friends at the university.”

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.