Description

Jim Beam Vanilla Bourbon:

Our Story

In 1740, the Boehm family came to the 13 colonies, determined to live the colonial dream. 48 years later, they moved where Kentucky is now and changed their name to Beam. Hot summers, mild winters and a nearby limestone spring made their new home ideal for—you guessed it—growing corn.

By the late 1700s, German, Scottish and Irish settlers were making rye whiskey in Western Pennsylvania. With government incentives to move west and grow corn, many moved to the Kentucky region. Among them was Jacob Beam who used his father’s whiskey recipe to distill corn into a new, sweeter kind of whiskey. And just like that, our bourbon was born.

Perhaps the best decision Jacob Beam ever made was to sell his bourbon. His first barrel of Old Jake Beam Sour Mash was sold in 1795 and quickly became a local favorite—no small feat considering that, by the early 1800s, Kentucky was home to about 2,000 distillers.

Our Bourbon Making Process

To us, making bourbon has never been a job—it’s an art. Every ingredient, every shift in the weather and every oak stave blend together to make JIM BEAM the world’s #1 bourbon. Here’s a crash course on how it’s done.

Begin with a mix of corn (at least 51%), rye and malted barley. We like to call it our “mash bill.” This feeds into a 10,000-gallon cooker where we add some “setback” (a bit of old mash from our last distillation) for consistency and transform our mash into “sour mash.”

Once cooked, our sour mash goes to the fermenter, where it gets cooled and yeast is added to eat sugars and create alcohol. But not just any old yeast—the same strain we’ve been using since Prohibition ended. It’s a closely guarded family secret—so guarded, in fact, that Jim Beam himself would take home a jug of yeast every weekend for safe keeping. A tradition his great-grandson still upholds today.

The wood whiskey ages in has a lot to do with its final flavor. At Jim Beam, we tap our high wine into brand-new, level-4 char, American White Oak barrels. We call this “alligator char” because, after being fired, the inside of the barrels have the bumpy look of a gator’s skin. This also caramelizes the sugars within the wood to create a richer flavor with fewer tannins.

After filling our barrels, we roll them into our airy rackhouses to rest. As the seasons change, the charred-barrel wood expands and contracts, allowing bourbon to extract its caramelized sugars, oak flavor and golden-brown color. According to U.S. law, two years gets you Straight Bourbon Whiskey. But four years gets you the smooth, mellow flavor of Jim Beam.

Jim Beam Vanilla Bourbon

A pleasantly sweet spin on a Kentucky classic, Jim Beam Vanilla is perfect for those times when you’re looking for a touch of sweetness mixed with a few fond memories.

Jim Beam Vanilla combines the natural flavor of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean with our original Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The result is the perfect balance of rich, full-bodied vanilla with subtle hints of oak, all complemented by the deep, caramel notes of bourbon. Enjoy it straight, on the rocks or with cola.

Jim Beam Vanilla Bourbon presents a deep copper appearance that immediately draws the eye. On the nose, it offers a rich and inviting aroma of sweet vanilla, complemented by subtle hints of butterscotch and toffee. The taste is smooth and sweet, showcasing natural vanilla flavor balanced with gentle oak undertones. Its finish is lingering and pleasant, leaving behind a lasting impression of vanilla sweetness with a touch of warming bourbon spice.

Jim Beam Vanilla Bourbon Notes To Your Senses:

• APPEARANCE: Deep copper
• AROMA: Sweet vanilla with hints of butterscotch and toffee
• TASTE: Smooth and sweet with natural vanilla and subtle oak undertones.
• FINISH: Lingering vanilla sweetness, with just a touch of warming bourbon spice
• ABV: 32.5%