Jim Beam is an American brand of
bourbon whiskey
Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...
produced in
Clermont, Kentucky
Clermont is a USGS-designated populated place (one of 32) in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States, south of Louisville. It is an unincorporated community.
Geography
Clermont is located at (37.5547, -85.3910) and is 531 feet (162 meters) ...
, by
Beam Suntory
Beam Suntory, Inc. is an American-founded, Japanese multinational company that produces alcoholic beverages. It is a subsidiary of Suntory, based in Osaka, Japan.
It is the third largest producer of distilled beverages worldwide, behind Diageo ...
. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
), seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand. The brand name became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the
Fortune Brands holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
, the brand was purchased by
Suntory Holdings
(commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...
in 2014.
History
During the late 18th century, members of the Böhm family, who eventually changed the spelling of their surname to "Beam", emigrated from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and settled in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
.
Johannes "Jacob" Beam (1760–1834) was a farmer who began producing whiskey in the style that became
bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bras ...
. Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of corn whiskey around 1795,
[ then called Old Jake Beam Sour Mash.
Jacob Beam's son David Beam (1802–1854) took on his father's responsibilities in 1820 at the age of 18, expanding distribution of the family's bourbon during a time of ]Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
. David M. Beam (1833–1913) in 1854 moved the distillery to Nelson County to capitalize on the growing network of railroad lines connecting states.
Until 1880, customers would bring their own jugs to the distillery to fill them with whiskey. In 1880, the company started bottling the product and selling it nationally under the brand name "Old Tub".
James Beauregard Beam (1864–1947) managed the family business before and after Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
, rebuilding the distillery in 1933–1934 in Clermont, Kentucky
Clermont is a USGS-designated populated place (one of 32) in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States, south of Louisville. It is an unincorporated community.
Geography
Clermont is located at (37.5547, -85.3910) and is 531 feet (162 meters) ...
, near his Bardstown
Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County.
Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...
home.
In 1943, the brand name was changed from "Old Tub" to "Jim Beam",[ after James Beauregard Beam, and some of the bottle labels bear the statement, "None Genuine Without My Signature" with the signature James B. Beam. In 1945, the company was purchased by Harry Blum, a Chicago spirits merchant.] The Beam company was purchased by American Brands
Fortune Brands was a holding company founded in 1969 as American Brands, renamed in 1997 and split apart in 2011. The corporate headquarters was in Deerfield, Illinois, in the United States. The company had diversified product lines. It announced ...
in 1968.[
T. Jeremiah Beam (1899–1977) started working at the Clear Springs distillery in 1913, later becoming the master distiller and overseeing operations at the new Clermont facility. Jeremiah Beam eventually gained full ownership and opened a second distillery near ]Boston, Kentucky
Boston is a census-designated place in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. Boston is along I-65; its ZIP code is 40107.
Boston is the home of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, organized in 1802. During 1929–1933, Mount Moriah was pastored ...
, in 1954. Jeremiah later teamed up with childhood friend Jimberlain Joseph Quinn, to expand the enterprise.
Booker Noe (Frederick Booker Noe II, 1929–2004), grandson of Jim Beam, was the Master Distiller at the Jim Beam Distillery for more than 40 years, working closely with Master Distiller Jerry Dalton. In 1987 Booker introduced his namesake bourbon, Booker's
Booker's bourbon is one of the small batch bourbons produced by the Jim Beam distillery, which is owned by Beam Suntory (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan). Having the highest alcohol content of the brands in the Jim Beam "Small B ...
, the company's first uncut, straight-from-the-barrel bourbon, and the first of the company's "Small Batch
Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey
...
Bourbon Collection".
Fred Noe (Frederick Booker Noe III, 1957–) became the seventh generation Beam family distiller in 2007 and regularly travels for promotional purposes.
In 1987, Jim Beam purchased National Distillers
Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have be ...
, acquiring brands including Old Crow
Old Crow is a low-priced brand of Kentucky-made straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Beam Suntory, which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of whiskey. The current Old Crow product uses the same mash bill and yeast as Jim Beam, but ...
, Bourbon de Luxe, Old Taylor
Old Taylor Bourbon is a brand of straight bourbon whiskey produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, Kentucky by the Sazerac Company. It was named in honor of the historic distiller Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr.
Col. E. H. Taylor ...
, Old Grand-Dad
Old Grand-Dad is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled at the Jim Beam Plant in Clermont, Kentucky. The brand was created by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather Meredith Basil Hayden Sr., who was a well known distiller during his l ...
, and Sunny Brook. Old Taylor was subsequently sold to the Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company, Inc is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionair ...
.
On August 4, 2003, a fire destroyed a Jim Beam aging warehouse in Bardstown, Kentucky. It held 15,000 barrels () of bourbon. Flames rose more than 100 feet from the structure. Burning bourbon spilled from the warehouse into a nearby creek. An estimated 19,000 fish died of the bourbon in the creek and a river.
Jim Beam was part of the holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
formerly known as Fortune Brands that was dismantled in 2011. Other parts of the remaining company were spun off as an IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...
on the NYSE
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the List of stock exchanges, world's largest s ...
on the same day, as Fortune Brands Home & Security
Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. (or "Fortune Brands") is an American manufacturer of home and security products, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. Its portfolio of businesses and brands includes Moen and the House of Rohl; outdoor living ...
, and the liquor division of the holding company was renamed Beam, Inc. on October 4, 2011. In January 2014, it was announced that Beam Inc. would be purchased by Suntory Holdings Ltd., a Japanese group of brewers & distillers known for producing Japan's first whiskey. The combined company is known as Beam Suntory.
On July 3, 2019, another warehouse caught ablaze which destroyed around 45,000 barrels () of bourbon. The fire led to the spillage of bourbon into the Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 13, 2011 in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentuc ...
and Glenns Creek. Learning from the 2003 fire it was decided not to use water, letting it burn itself out to reduce runoff into the ecosystem. The estimated cost of the fire to Beam Suntory was around $45 million.
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is a government organization in the US state of Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of ...
(KEEC) released a statement via their official Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page stating the alcohol plume had reached between Owenton and Carrollton. The KEEC along with local and federal agencies used aeration
Aeration (also called aerification or aeriation) is the Systems engineering process, process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or solvation, dissolved in a liquid or other substances that act as a fluid (such as soil). Aeration proces ...
to increase the oxygen levels in the water to prevent additional fish kill.
Distillers
* Freddie Noe (1988–present)
* Fred Noe (1957–present)
* Fred Booker Noe II (1929–2004)
* T. Jeremiah Beam (1899–1977)
* James B. Beam (1864–1947)
* David M. Beam (1833–1913)
* David Beam (1802–1854)
* Jacob Beam (1760–1834)
Distilleries
* James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, KY
* Jim Beam Booker Noe Plant in Boston, KY
* Jim Beam Old Grand Dad Plant in Frankfort, KY
Products
Several varieties bearing the Jim Beam name are available.
Straight bourbon whiskey
* Jim Beam Original (white label) – aged 4 years in new charred oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
barrels, 80 proof, the flagship whiskey
* Jim Beam Black (black label) – "extra aged"; was age stated at 8 years (6 years in export markets), but dropped the age statement at the beginning of 2015 – 86 proof
* Jim Beam Devil's Cut – aged 6 years, uses bourbon extracted from the cask's wood after emptying, 90 proof
* Jim Beam Bonded (metallic gold label) – aged 4 years, 100 proof, bottled in bond
Bottled in bond is a label for an American-made distilled beverage that has been aged and bottled according to a set of legal regulations contained in the United States government's Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits, as originally laid ...
* Jim Beam Double Oak (dark blue label) – matured in two barrels
* Jim Beam Single Barrel -108 proof.
Premium bourbons
* Jim Beam Signature Craft bourbon whiskey – aged 12 years, 86 proof
* Jim Beam Signature Craft Quarter Cask Bourbon – bourbon aged at least 5 years and finished in a variety of quarter-size casks for at least an additional 4 years
* Jim Beam Harvest Collection (limited release) – six bourbons aged 11 years or more, each made with a particular secondary grain, including triticale
Triticale (; × ''Triticosecale'') is a hybrid of wheat (''Triticum'') and rye (''Secale'') first bred in laboratories during the late 19th century in Scotland and Germany. Commercially available triticale is almost always a second-generation h ...
, high rye, six-row barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pro ...
, soft red wheat, brown rice
Brown rice is a whole grain rice with the inedible outer Rice hulls, hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice. White rice is the same grain w ...
, and whole rolled oat
* Jim Beam Distiller's Masterpiece – finished in Pedro Ximénez
Pedro Ximénez (also known as PX and many other variations) is the name of a white Spanish wine grape variety grown in several Spanish wine regions but most notably in the '' denominación de origen'' (DO) of Montilla-Moriles. Here it is used to ...
sherry casks – 100 proof
Straight rye whiskey
* Jim Beam Rye (green label) – rye whiskey
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
* American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain
* Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and o ...
, aged 4 years, 90 proof
"White whiskey"
* Jacob's Ghost – 80 proof, aged one year in uncharred barrels and filtered
Liqueurs
All are 70 proof (35% ABV) except Jim Beam Red Stag (40% ABV), Jim Beam Peach and Jim Beam Honey (32.5% ABV)
* Jim Beam Apple – with apple flavoring
* Jim Beam Honey – with honey flavoring
* Jim Beam Kentucky Fire – with cinnamon flavoring
* Jim Beam Maple – with maple flavoring
* Jim Beam Red Stag – with black cherry flavoring
* Jim Beam Vanilla – with vanilla flavoring
* Jim Beam Peach – with peach flavoring
* Jim Beam Orange – with orange flavoring
Beam's "Small Batch
Small batch whiskey is whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels. Small batch whiskeys are commercially positioned for the upper-premium market. The term is most commonly used for American whiskey
...
Bourbon Collection" consists of several bourbons where the Beam name appears on the labels and marketing materials but is less prominent.
* Booker's
Booker's bourbon is one of the small batch bourbons produced by the Jim Beam distillery, which is owned by Beam Suntory (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan). Having the highest alcohol content of the brands in the Jim Beam "Small B ...
: aged 6+ years, 120–129.2 proof (60–64.60% ABV
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
)
* Baker's
A baker is someone who primarily bakes and sells bread.
Baker and Bakers may also refer to:
Brands and companies
* Baker Skateboards
* Baker's Chocolate
* Baker's Drive-Thru, chain of fast-food restaurants in Southern California
* Baker Hughes, ...
: aged 7 years, 107 proof (53.5% ABV)
* Basil Hayden's
Basil Hayden's is the lightest-bodied bourbon whiskey in the family of Jim Beam small batch bourbons produced by Beam Suntory (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan). It is 80 proof, in contrast with its three sibling brands of high ...
: aged 6 to 8 years, 80 proof (40% ABV); uses the Old Grand-Dad
Old Grand-Dad is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled at the Jim Beam Plant in Clermont, Kentucky. The brand was created by Raymond B. Hayden and named after his grandfather Meredith Basil Hayden Sr., who was a well known distiller during his l ...
"high-rye" mash bill
Mash ingredients, mash bill, mashbill, or grain bill are the materials that brewers use to produce the wort that they then ferment into alcohol. Mashing is the act of creating and extracting fermentable and non-fermentable sugars and flavor co ...
.
* Knob Creek: aged 9 years, 100 proof (50% ABV), with a 9-year, 120-proof (60% ABV) single-barrel
Single barrel whiskey (or single cask whiskey) is a premium class of whiskey in which each bottle comes from an individual aging barrel, instead of coming from blending together the contents of various barrels to provide uniformity of color and t ...
expression, and a 100 proof (50% ABV) rye whiskey.
Several of these offerings have performed quite well at international spirits ratings
With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...
competitions. For example, Jim Beam's Black label was awarded a double gold medal at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings inv ...
. Jim Beam Black also won a Gold Outstanding medal at the 2013 International Wine and Spirit Competition
The International Wine & Spirit Competition is an annual wine and spirit competition founded in 1969 by the German/British oenologist Anton Massel. Each year the competition receives entries from over 90 countries worldwide. The awards given by t ...
.
Process
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...
distillers must follow government standards for production. By law (), any "straight
Straight may refer to:
Slang
* Straight, slang for heterosexual
** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype
* Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture
Sport and games
* Str ...
" bourbon must be: produced in the United States; made of a grain mix of at least 51% corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
; distilled at no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
); free of any additives (except water to reduce proof for aging and bottling); aged in new, charred white oak barrels; entered into the aging barrels at no higher than 125 proof (62.5% ABV), aged for a minimum of 2 years, and bottled at no less than 80 proof (40% ABV).
Jim Beam starts with water filtered naturally by the limestone shelf found in Central Kentucky. A strain of yeast used since the end of Prohibition is added to a tank with the grains to create what is known as "dona yeast", used later in the fermentation process. Hammermill
A hammer mill is a mill whose purpose is to shred or crush aggregate material into smaller pieces by the repeated blows of little hammers. These machines have numerous industrial applications, including:
* Ethanol plants (grains)
* A farm machi ...
s grind the mix of corn, rye and barley malt to break it down for easier cooking. The mix is then moved into a large mash cooker where water and set back are added. The "set back" is a portion of the old mash from the previous distillation—the key step of the sour mash
Sour mash (or sourmash) is a process used in the distilling industry that uses material from an older batch of mash to start the fermentation of a new batch, analogous to the making of sourdough bread with a starter. The term can also be used a ...
process, ensuring consistency from batch to batch. The distillery produces two different whiskeys based on two different mash bills, each used depending on the product line.
From the cooker, the mash heads to the fermenter where it is cooled to and yeast is added again. The yeast is fed by the sugars in the mash, producing heat, carbon dioxide and alcohol. Called "distiller's beer" or "wash", the resulting liquid (after filtering to remove solids) looks, smells and tastes like (and essentially is) a form of beer. The wash is pumped into a column still
A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still is a variety of still consisting of two columns. Column stills can produce rectified spirit (95% ABV).
Description
The first column (called the analyzer) in a column s ...
where it is heated to over , causing the alcohol to turn to a vapor.
The high wine at about 125 proof is moved to new charred American oak barrels, each of which hold about of liquid. A "bung
A stopper or cork is a cylindrical or conical Closure (container), closure used to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel (storage), barrel. Unlike a Lid (container), lid or bottle cap, which encloses a container from the outside wit ...
" is used to seal the barrels before moving them to nearby hilltop rackhouses where they will age up to nine years. As the seasons change, natural weather variations expand and contract the barrel wood, allowing bourbon to seep into the barrel, and the caramelized sugars from the charred oak flavor and color the bourbon. A significant portion (known as the " angel's share") of the bourbon escapes the barrel through evaporation, or stays trapped in the wood of the barrel. Jim Beam ages for at least four years, or twice as long as the government requires for a "straight" bourbon. Aging for at least four years also allows the distillery to legally dispense with an age statement on the bottle.
Global markets
Jim Beam is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Outside the United States, Beam Global Spirits & Wine has had a sales and distribution alliance with The Edrington Group
Edrington (legally The Edrington Group Ltd.) is a privately owned international spirits company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It produces Single malt Scotch, single malts The Macallan, Highland Park Single Malt, Highland Park, The Glenrothes dist ...
since 2009.
See also
* Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, by the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.
Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's "Black Label" T ...
, an American Tennessee whiskey
* List of historic whisky distilleries
This article is a list of historic whisky distilleries and distillery companies. It includes some that are still operating and some that are not, and includes those claiming to be the oldest or to have other historically important characteristics. ...
* Maker's Mark
Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of ...
, a premium sister brand of bourbon produced by Beam Suntory
* Robby Gordon Motorsports
Robby Gordon Motorsports is a motorsports constructor owned by Robby Gordon. The company was formed in 2005 as a race team for Gordon's NASCAR career. RGM spent the years of 2005 to 2012 competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, and part-time stints i ...
, a racing team sponsored by Jim Beam from 2005 to 2009
* 2016 Jim Beam strike
Footnotes
References
External links
*
{{KYBourbonTrail
1795 introductions
Alcoholic drink brands
American brands
Beam Suntory
Bourbon whiskey
Bullitt County, Kentucky
Distilleries in Kentucky
Kentucky cuisine