The United States is our home in the world of liquor, and it’s difficult to imagine a more important American distillery than Jim Beam. Jim Beam’s history goes back to 1795 back when the country was still young and immigrants were thirsty for distilled spirits that were safer than water and easier to drink than moonshine. When German immigrant Jacob Bohm settled in Kentucky and started distilling “Old Jake Beam Sour Mash” whiskey in the recently developed style of “Bourbon” whiskey, only the wildest dreamers could have imagined that “Beam” would be among the largest producers of that sweet brown nectar in the world, seven generations later.
In 1943, James Beauregard Beam, having moved the family distillery to Bardstown, Kentucky, changed the name of the family whiskey from “Old Tub” to “Jim Beam.” Jim Beam’s name deserves to be the one on the bottles of his family’s Bourbon. It was Jim that rebuilt the family business after the dark years of prohibition silenced the stills. Today, Jim Beam is the first name in American whiskey. Jim Beam White Label is the yardstick by which other Straight Kentucky Bourbon is measured. Innovations such as Jim Beam Black (Extra-Aged) and liqueurs like Jim Beam Honey (perfect for Hot Toddy’s) keep introducing Kentucky Bourbon to new palates. The “Small Batch Collection” includes collectible and highly-rated whiskey under the labels Booker’s, Baker’s, Knob Creek and Basil Hayden’s. Even after 220+ years, Jim Beam hasn’t stopped innovating. Try Jim Beam Highballs, ready-to-drink blends of Jim Beam Whiskey and your favorite mixers.
