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 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, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings 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 and settled in Kentucky.[1] Johannes "Jacob" Beam (1760–1834) was a farmer who began producing whiskey in the style that became bourbon. Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of corn whiskey around 1795,[2] then called Old Jake Beam Sour Mash.[citation needed] Beam's son David Beam (1802–1854) took on his father's responsibilities in 1820 at age 18, expanding distribution of the family's bourbon during the Industrial Revolution. David M. Beam (1833–1913) in 1854 moved the distillery to Nelson County to capitalize on the growing network of railroad lines connecting states.[clarification needed] 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".[3] James Beauregard Beam (1864–1947) managed the family business before and after Prohibition, rebuilding the distillery in 1933–1934 in Clermont, Kentucky, near his Bardstown home.
In 1943, the brand name was changed from "Old Tub" to "Jim Beam",[3] after James Beauregard Beam, and some of the bottle labels bear the statement, "None Genuine Without My Signature" with the signature James B. Beam.[citation needed] In 1945, the company was purchased by Harry Blum, a Chicago spirits merchant.[2] The Beam company was purchased by American Brands in 1968.[2] 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, in 1954. Jeremiah later teamed up with childhood friend Jimberlain Joseph Quinn, to expand the enterprise.[clarification needed]
Booker Noe (Frederick Booker Noe II, 1929–2004),[4] 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, the company's first uncut, straight-from-the-barrel bourbon,[citation needed] and the first of the company's "Small Batch 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, acquiring brands including Old Crow,[5] Bourbon de Luxe, Old Taylor, Old Grand-Dad, and Sunny Brook.[6] Old Taylor was subsequently sold to the Sazerac Company. Jim Beam was part of the holding company formerly known as Fortune Brands that was dismantled in 2011. Other parts of the remaining company were spun off as an IPO on the NYSE on the same day, as Fortune Brands Home & Security, and the liquor division of the holding company was renamed Beam, Inc. on October 4, 2011. In 2014 Beam Inc. was purchased by Suntory Holdings Ltd., a Japanese food and beverage group.[7] The combined company was known as Beam Suntory until May 2024, when it was re-branded as Suntory Global Spirits.[8]
On August 4, 2003, a fire destroyed a Jim Beam aging warehouse in Bardstown, Kentucky. It held 15,000 barrels (795,000USgal or 3,010,000L)[note 1] 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.[10][11] On July 3, 2019, another warehouse caught ablaze which destroyed around 45,000 barrels (2,385,000USgal or 9,030,000L)[note 1] of bourbon.[12] The fire led to the spillage of bourbon into the Kentucky River and Glenns Creek.[13] Learning from the 2003 fire it was decided not to use water, letting it burn itself out to reduce runoff into the ecosystem. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (KEEC) released a statement via their official Facebook page stating the alcohol plume had reached 23mi (37km) between Owenton and Carrollton.[14] The KEEC along with local and federal agencies used aeration to increase the oxygen levels in the water to prevent additional fish kill.
In 2017, White Coffee Corp partnered with Jim Beam and a line of bourbon flavored coffees was created.[15]
Jim Beam White Label, Beam's high-volume labelA 375 mL can of Jim Beam Black mixed with Cola. Double served. 6.9% ALC/VOLRed Stag black cherry bourbon liqueur
Several varieties bearing the Jim Beam name are available.[16]
Straight bourbon whiskey
Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – The flagship Jim Beam bourbon, aged for four years in new charredoak barrels and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
Jim Beam Black – Jim Beam aged for seven years and bottled at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof).
Jim Beam Devil's Cut – Original Jim Beam blended with bourbon extracted from the cask's wood after emptying. Bottled at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof).
Jim Beam Double Oak – Jim Beam bourbon aged in two separate barrels. Bottled at 43% alcohol by volume (86 proof).
Jim Beam Single Barrel – Bourbon aged in a single barrel. Alcohol content varies by batch.
Jim Beam Sunshine Blend – A blend of original Jim Beam and bourbon made with brown rice, aged for four years. Bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
Jim Beam Winter Reserve – Jim Beam aged for six years and finished in two toasted barrels. Bottled at 43% alcohol by volume (86 proof).
Straight rye whiskey
Jim Beam Rye – Rye whiskey, bottled at 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof).
Small batch bourbon
Beam's "Small Batch Bourbon Collection" consists of several bourbons where the Beam name appears on the labels and marketing materials but is less prominent.
Booker's: aged 6+ years, 120–129.2 proof (60–64.60% ABV)
Bourbon whiskey distillers must follow government standards for production. By law (27CFR5), any "straight" bourbon must be: produced in the United States; made of a grain mix of at least 51% corn; distilled at no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV); free of any additives (except water to reduce proof for aging and bottling); aged in new, charred 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. Hammermills 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 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.[19]
From the cooker, the mash heads to the fermenter where it is cooled to 60–70°F (16–21°C) 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 where it is heated to over 200°F (93°C), causing the alcohol to turn to a vapor.
The high wine at about 125 proof is moved to new charred American oak barrels,[19] each of which hold about 53 US gallons (200L) of liquid. A "bung" 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.[20][full citation needed] 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.[21][22] Outside the United States, Beam Global Spirits & Wine has had a sales and distribution alliance with The Edrington Group since 2009.[23]
1 2 A typical bourbon barrel contains about 53USgal or 200L.[9]
Related Research Articles
Bourbon whiskey is a barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County, Kentucky, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the House of Bourbon. The name bourbon might not have been used until the 1850s, and the association with Bourbon County was not evident until the 1870s.
Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey:
Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced at Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, which has been owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation since 1956.
Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Suntory Global Spirits. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Old Crow is a low-priced brand of Kentucky-made straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Suntory Global Spirits, 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 is aged for a shorter period of time.
Booker's bourbon is one of the small batch bourbons produced by the Jim Beam distillery, which is owned by Suntory Global Spirits. Having the highest alcohol content of the brands in the Jim Beam "Small Batch Bourbon Collection", it is a cask strength bourbon. Booker's bourbon is aged between six and eight years and is bottled un-cut and without chill filtering at its natural proof between 121 and 130.6.
Knob Creek is an American brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by Suntory Global Spirits at the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. It is one of the four Jim Beam small batch bourbon brands targeted for the high-end liquor market. Its siblings in the line are Booker's, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's.
Alberta Premium is one of the few remaining 100% rye grain rye whiskies produced in North America. The brand is owned by Suntory Global Spirits, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan.
American whiskey is whiskey produced in the United States. American whiskeys made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains include bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey.
Old Overholt is America's oldest continually maintained brand of whiskey. It was founded in West Overton, Pennsylvania, in 1810. Old Overholt is a rye whiskey distilled by A. Overholt & Co., currently a subsidiary of Suntory Global Spirits, which is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan. It is produced at the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. It is one of the most commonly available straight rye whiskies in the United States, where it is available at most liquor stores. It is aged for four years and since early 2020 is non-chill filtered and bottled at 86 proof. A four-year bottled in bond, 100 proof version was released in late 2017. Old Overholt has been called a "foundation stone of American whiskey" because of its long history.
Bulleit Bourbon is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at the Bulleit Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky and the Bulleit Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky by the Diageo beverage company.
W. L. Weller is a brand of "wheated" bourbon whiskey. The brand was created by the Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company, and was sold several times after 1972. Since 1999, the brand has been owned by the Sazerac Company. It is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Like all bourbons, Weller is distilled from a mash composed of at least 51% corn (maize). The secondary grain used for the Weller brand is wheat, whereas most bourbons use rye.
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 but is sometimes used for other whiskeys as well. For example, the Bowmore distillery in Islay, Scotland, has produced a single malt Scotch whisky labeled as "small batch".
Old Forester is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whisky produced by the Brown–Forman Corporation. It has been on the market continuously for longer than any other bourbon, and was the first bourbon sold exclusively in sealed bottles. It was first bottled and marketed in 1870 by the former pharmaceutical salesman turned bourbon-merchant George Garvin Brown – the founder of the Brown–Forman Corporation. During the Prohibition period from 1920 to 1933, Brown–Forman received one of only six licenses authorizing lawful production.
Willett Distillery Ltd, is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.
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.
Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon is brand of a bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery.
Old Pogue is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Located in Maysville, Kentucky, the Old Pogue Distillery carries strong family ties dating back to the 1870s, and is privately owned by members of the Pogue family.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to whisky:
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
