"jim beam" news and stories

With temps in the teens, and some unexpected snow on the ground, Knob Creek introduced the world to its first single-barrel reserve bottling right at the source, the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky.

A group gathered around seven-generation master distiller, Fred Noe, in one of the distillery's barrel houses, a plank-and-beam structure notable for its 20,000 casks of quietly aging bourbon, and on this particular morning, a distinct lack of heating or insulation. Noe, who traces his lineage back to Colonel Jim Beam himself (the man wasn't a marketing invention), carefully siphoned liquid out of several individually selected American white-oak casks to illustrate the distinction between Knob Creek and Knob Creek Single Barrel. Whereas the former is a blend and bottled at 100 proof, the latter is bottled directly from a single, "sweet" barrel, after being cut down to 120 proof (cask strength is around 130). The effect is an intriguing inconsistency in style that makes opening a bottle something of a throw at the roulette wheel. Of the four barrels we sampled, each had a distinctive profile that sometimes varied dramatically: Beyond the expected vanilla, wood and sweet notes, one skewed more towards a lighter, floral style while another had an unusually sharp, rye-like bite of spice.

In days of old, a son learning his father's craft was no major news, just an expected and traditional way to build a career. Now, many companies choose to highlight family teams in their marketing strategies.

Let's start in the heart of American distillation -- Kentucky. The largest distillery there may be owned by giant drinks company Fortune Brands, but the Jim Beam legacy is seven generations deep. The current master distiller is Frederick "Fred" Booker Noe III. He had a hard act to follow with the passing away of his beloved father, Booker Noe, who happened to be the grandson of James. B. Beam. Fred Noe has one son -- Frederick Booker Noe IV -- who, even at his young age, undoubtedly feels a little pressure to follow the family's legacy in the whiskey business.

Jim Beam doesn't hoard all the Beam family teams, however. Heaven Hill Distillery is Kentucky's largest family-owned bourbon producer. After prohibition, the Shapiro family jump-started this distillery with the help of the first cousin of Jim Beam, and ever since then a member of the Beam family has been in charge of distillation. Today Parker Beam and his son Craig make an incredible family team at Heaven Hill.

Ah, the celebration that comes with a national election. The debate/return parties, the shared moments of victory and/or regrouping, the solitary, teeth-gnashing sessions spent on the couch in front of CNN. All go better with a drink, preferably something American-made--no Heineken, no Sapporo, no Hennessy, no Stoli. No, indeed, because it is the time to crack open a bottle of Jim Beam. What could be more patriotic than that? Actually, something can: An Operation Homefront bottle of Jim Beam. Operation Homefront is an organization that aids and supports military personnel and their families stateside. Disagree though people may on other issues, I think this is something we can all get behind. Even without the booze.

Unlike the Absolut New Orleans charity bottle, Operation Homefront Beam has no special flavor or, really, anything to differentiate it from regular Beam beasides the stars n' stripes on the bottle. Also, while the Jim Beam company has made six-digit donations to Operation Homefront, they do not receive a percentage of bottle sales, so one is deprived of the rare opportunity of insisting that you're downing that 12th bourbon sour for our brave men and women in uniform. Still, for their support of this fine charity (and perhaps after that 13th bourbon, you could write a check too), the good folk at Jim Beam deserve a round of applause. Or perhaps just a clink of the glasses.

This recipe says it's great for a "Cocktails with the Cleavers" party, though I don't remember the Cleavers drinking anything stronger than coffee (unless they were getting all tipsy when the boys went to bed). But I get their point, it's for a retro party, and it sounds strong.

It's the Jack Rabbit, and it's made with bourbon, sugar, and lemons. Lots and lots of lemons.