About the Jim Beam Distillery
Jim Beam was started by German immigrants, the Boehm family who Americanized their last name to Beam. Jacob Beam sold his first barrel of Old Jake Beam Sour Mash in 1795, where it became a local favorite. In 1820 he handed the distillery over to his son David, who kept the family tradition alive. He would rename their bourbon Old Tub, which was the name of the distillery. The company would continue to produce bourbon, and with the help of trains and steamboats they were able to distribute their product outside of Kentucky. In 1894 James Beam (Jim to his friends and family) took over the family distillery. Unfortunately Prohibition hit in 1920 and the distillery would be shut down. When Prohibition finally ended in 1933, Jim rebuilt his entire distillery and once again would produce his own bourbon in 1935- Colonel James B. Bourbon. That year they re-founded the distillery as the Jim B. Beam Distilling Company in honor of Jim Beam!
In 2014 Suntory Holding acquired Beam Inc.; however, the Jim Beam Distillery is still alive and producing bourbon in Clermont, Kentucky.
Read our reviews for Jim Beam’s bourbons.
