Spirits · Clermont, Kentucky

James B. Beam Distilling Co.

The Beam family's Kentucky bourbon house, distilling across seven generations.

Founded: 1795
Founded by: Jacob Beam
Based in: Clermont, Kentucky

Shop all James B. Beam Distilling Co. (3)Our featured pick

Their story

The Beam story starts with Jacob Beam, who brought his family's whiskey recipe from Pennsylvania to Kentucky and sold his first barrel in 1795. Generations later, after Prohibition ended, a 70-year-old James B. Beam rebuilt the business in Clermont, Kentucky, restarting the stills within about four months on the site of a distillery the family had bought during the dry years.

The family has stayed at the center ever since. Booker Noe became master distiller in 1965 and created the Small Batch Collection in 1992, including Knob Creek, Booker's, Baker's and Basil Hayden's. His son Fred followed him, and Fred's son Freddie Noe became master distiller in 2022.

The company is no longer family owned. Japan's Suntory bought Beam Inc. in 2014, and the parent is now called Suntory Global Spirits. In late 2025 the company announced a pause in distilling at the Clermont site during 2026, with production continuing at its other Kentucky distilleries.

How it's made

Beam bourbons are built on a corn-forward mash, the family's own yeast strain and limestone-filtered Kentucky water. The whiskey ages in new charred oak barrels in rickhouses, where hot summers and cold winters push the spirit in and out of the wood.

Our featured pick

Bookers: Springfield Batch Bourbon (750ML)

$200.00

A batch is named after the small town in central Kentucky where my dad, Booker Noe, was born and raised.the producer darkest and deepest amber and henna color.

Full product details

Shop James B. Beam Distilling Co.

3 in stock

Why we carry them

We think of Beam as a good place to learn what classic Kentucky bourbon tastes like. The small-batch bottles from the same family are a natural next step.