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Jim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It is currently one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand, which was given the name "Jim Beam" in 1933 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended. The Jim Beam Bourbon brand is now owned and produced by Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), which is a company formed on October 4, 2011 from part of the holding company formerly known as Fortune Brands. Beam is headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, in Deerfield, Illinois. The Beam / Noe family that founded the business is still involved in the company. The company produces several varieties of bourbon and other spirits, as well as food products that include bourbon as an ingredient.

==History==
During the late 18th century, members of the Boehm family, who eventually changed the spelling of their surname to "Beam", emigrated from Germany and settled in Kentucky.
Johannes "Reginald" Beam (1770–1834) was a farmer that began producing whiskey in the style that became known as bourbon. Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of corn whiskey around 1795. The whiskey was first called Old Jake Beam, and the distillery was known as Old Tub.
David Beam (1802–1854) took on his father's responsibilities in 1820 at the age of 18, expanding distribution of the family's bourbon during a time of industrial revolution. David M. Beam (1833–1913) in 1854 moved the distillery to Nelson County to capitalize on the growing network of railroad lines connecting states. James Beauregard Beam (1864–1947) managed the family business before and after Prohibition, rebuilding the distillery in 1933 in Clermont, Kentucky, near his Bardstown home. James R. Beam Distilling Company was founded in 1935 by Harry L. Homel, Oliver Jacobson, H. Blum and Jerimiah Beam. From this point forward, the bourbon would be called "Jim Beam Bourbon" after James Beauregard Beam. T. Jeremiah Beam (1899–1977) started working at the Clear Springs distillery in 1913, later becoming Master Distiller and overseeing operations at the new Clermont facility. Jeremiah Beam eventually gained full ownership and opened a second distillery near Boston, Kentucky, in 1954. Jeremiah later teamed up with childhood friend Jimberlain Joseph Quinn, to expand the enterprise.
Booker Noe (1929–2004), birth name Frederick Booker Noe II, was the Master Distiller at the Jim Beam Distillery for more than 40 years, working closely with Master Distiller Jerry Dalton (1998–2007). In 1987 Booker introduced his own namesake bourbon, Booker's, the company's first uncut, straight-from-the-barrel bourbon, and the first of the company's "Small Batch Bourbon Collection".
Fred Noe (1957–Present), birth name Frederick Booker Noe III, became the seventh generation Beam family distiller in 2007 and regularly travels for promotional purposes.
In 1987, Jim Beam purchased National Brands, acquiring brands including Old Crow, Bourbon de Luxe, Old Taylor, Old Grand-Dad, and Sunny Brook.[6] Old Taylor was subsequently sold to the Sazerac Company.
The Beam family has also played a major role in the history of the Heaven Hill Distillery. All of the Master Distillers at Heaven Hill since its founding have been members of the Beam family. The original Master Distiller at Heaven Hill was Joseph L. Beam, Jim Beam's first cousin. He was followed by his son, Harry, who was followed by Earl Beam, the son of Jim Beam's brother, Park. Earl Beam was then succeeded by the current Heaven Hill Master Distillers, Parker Beam and his son, Craig Beam.

==Production==
Bourbon whiskey distillers must follow government standards for production. By law (27 C.F.R. 5), any "straight" bourbon must be: produced in the United States; made of a grain mix of at least 51% corn; distilled at no higher than 160 proof (80% ABV); free of any additives (except water to reduce proof for aging and bottling); aged in new, charred white oak barrels; entered into the aging barrels at no higher than 125 proof (62.5% ABV), aged for a minimum of 2 years, and bottled at no less than 80 proof (40% ABV).
Jim Beam starts with water filtered naturally by the limestone shelf found in Central Kentucky. A strain of yeast used since the end of Prohibition is added to a tank with the grains to create what is known as "dona yeast", used later in the fermentation process. Hammer mills grind the mix of corn, rye and barley malt to break it down for easier cooking. The mix is then moved into a large mash cooker where water and set back are added. "Set back" represents a portion of the old mash from the last distillation—the key step of the sour mash process, ensuring consistency from batch to batch.
From the cooker, the mash heads to the fermenter where it is cooled to 60–70°F and yeast is added again. The yeast is fed by the sugars in the mash, producing heat, carbon dioxide and alcohol. Called "distiller's beer" or "wash", the resulting liquid (after filtering to remove solids) looks, smells and tastes like (and essentially is) a form of beer. The wash is pumped into a column still where it is heated to over 200°F, causing the alcohol to turn to a vapor. As the vapor cools and falls it turns to a liquid called "low wine", which measures 125 proof or 62.5% alcohol.[citation needed] A second distillation in a pot still heats and condenses the liquid into "high wine", which reaches 135 proof (67.5% alcohol).[citation needed]
The high wine is moved to new, charred American oak barrels, each of which hold about 53 gallons of liquid. A "bung" is used to seal the barrels before moving them to nearby hilltop rackhouses where they will age up to nine years. As the seasons change, natural weather variations expand and contract the barrel wood, allowing bourbon to seep into the barrel, and the caramelized sugars from the charred oak flavor and color the bourbon. A significant portion (known as the "angel's share") of the 53 gallons of bourbon escapes the barrel through evaporation, or stays trapped in the wood of the barrel.[9] Jim Beam ages for at least four years, or twice as long as the government requires for a "straight" bourbon. At the end of the aging period the amber liquid is filtered, bottled, packaged and sent to one of many distributors around the world in compliance with the three-tier distribution system.