A HISTORY AS SPIRITED AS BOURBON ITSELF
The story of the Beam family is one of seven generations, more than 200 years, countless challenges and one goal; to make the best bourbon in the world. So settle in, pour yourself a bourbon and prepare to travel back in time with the First Family of Bourbon.
Meet The Family
During the late 18th century, members of the Boehm family, who eventually changed the spelling of their surname to "Beam", emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania then eventually, after years in Maryland, to Kentucky.
Johannes "Jacob" Beam
Johannes "Jacob" Beam, born in 1760, was a farmer who began producing whiskey in a style that became commonly known as bourbon. Jacob Beam was incredibly successful and sold his first jug of corn whiskey around 1795, to much acclaim.
David Beam
David Beam, Jacob’s son, took on his father's responsibilities in 1820 at the age of 18 and expanded distribution of the family's bourbon as the spirit gained notoriety and fame across America. James Beauregard Beam, the grandson of David and the name-sake of our now famous Jim Beam® Bourbon, managed the family business before and after Prohibition, rebuilding the distillery in 1933 in Clermont, Kentucky, near his Bardstown home.
James B. Beam Distilling Company
The James B. Beam Distilling Company was founded in 1934 by James Beauregard Beam, Harry L. Homel, Oliver Jacobson, Harry Blum, and Jeremiah Beam. From this point forward, the bourbon would be called "Jim Beam® Bourbon" and some of the bottle labels bear the statement, "None Genuine Without My Signature" with the signature James B. Beam.
T. Jeremiah Beam
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.
Booker Noe
Booker Noe (1929–2004),birth name Frederick Booker Noe II, grandson of Jim Beam® , was the Master Distiller at the Jim Beam® Distillery for more than 40 years.
Fred Noe
Fred Noe (1957–present), birth name Frederick Booker Noe III, became the seventh generation Beam family distiller in 2007.
Here, Making Bourbon Isn't a Process. It's a 220-year tradition
At Jim Beam® , we don’t see making bourbon as a process or a job. To us, it’s an art form—a collaboration between our master distiller and Mother Nature where every ingredient, every shift in the weather and every oak stave come together to make Jim Beam® the World’s #1 Bourbon. So, if you’re curious about the craft, here’s a crash course on how it’s done.
