Jim Beam - The Horror!

@RianC yes, natural disasters do occur to distilleries. Heaven Hill had a big wipe-out disaster in the 1990s.

Higher costs to Beam equate to higher costs for Beam products. Sad for Beam, sad for us all.

I’ve been pretty angry by many of the people making light of this online. I’ve seen ridiculous comments of all types, e.g. Who cares? Beam sucks or at least no real whisky was harmed. These comments are ignorant, insensitive and narcissistic. Beam makes a lot of different products, and I personally enjoy many of them. But even if I didn’t, I can’t imagine being so self-centred as to minimize a tragedy that affects many people’s livelihood. I also can’t imagine displaying my callousness for a few Facebook likes.

@RianC, Early reports indicated a loss of 45,000 Barrels. My mind raced when I first learned of this tragic event...was anyone injured? Is there a possibility of more damage occurring?

...45,000 x 250 bottles /bbl = 11,250,000 bottles 750 ml BARREL PROOF!...

...at 300 bottles/bbl that's 13.5 MILLION Barrel Proof 750 ml bottles...

Forty-five thousand barrels is equivalent to 9% of Beam's annual production in 2016. Chuck Cowdery estimates that Beam fills 500,00 barrels annually....excerpt from The Chuck Cowdery Blog

Monday, May 2, 2016

Jim Beam (Beam Suntory) filled its 14 millionth barrel today. That is 14 million barrels (53 gallons each) since the distillery reopened after Prohibition. Put another way, it is 14 million barrels in 83 years. That averages out to 168,675 barrels per year, but it has been just two years since barrel number 13 million was filled, so the current rate is 500,000 barrels a year. That is the key information to take from this milestone.

chuckcowdery.blogspot.com/2016/05/…

@OdysseusUnbound - I'm enjoying my Booker's but in general I haven't been overly impressed with Beam products. Still though, I guess the type of comments you speak of are why I tend to shy away from social media - It's a sound-off board for vacuous pitch-fork mobs.

@Victor - Yeah I heard about the fire at Heaven Hill. Didn't it nearly finish them off? Not a lot anyone can do against lightning I guess?

@paddockjudge - Half a million barrels a year . . . wow! The heat that must have been coming off that thing and noise of barrels exploding must have been apocalyptic. Glad no-one was hurt as far as I can tell.

@RianC I have no issues with people liking what they like or not liking one brand or another...but to shrug off or minimize another’s misfortune is awful. I would not be happy or glib if a fire damaged the Macallan distillery, regardless of the fact that I don’t buy their whisky, or that I don’t care for their marketing. I don’t wish anybody ill fortune.

@OdysseusUnbound - ' I would not be happy or glib if a fire damaged the Macallan distillery . . '

Me neither . . . imagine the price hike!

@RianC Beam makes a lot of products. While I have no familiarity (or desire to have) with the standard stuff, Booker's, Baker's, Old Grand-dad 114 - I have to wonder if any of those barrels would have gone into any of those bottles.

I agree with @OdysseusUnbound - Schadenfreude sounds innocent but it's kind of mean.

@Nozinan - Oh I totally agree. My comment above was with tongue firmly in cheek.

As for schadenfreude, I would enjoy discussing it in much more detail but suffice to say that I think the root of it is the relief that it isn't happening to us. Some people are just pure mean though . . .

Jim Beam has such an effect on the bourbon world, most people have enjoyed something of theirs, not knowing it was their product! The only solace here is that their production levels are as astronomically high as they are! Hopefully the damage economically, is more of a ripple rather than a wave. I can't see them changing prices on their bottom shelf offerings, but their top shelf stuff may get a bump.

I was at a whisky event and a Beam Suntory rep told my friend that the barrels where mostly under 2 years of age.

Hopefully this doesn't reduce the quantity of OGD products availible. Sad news. Apparently a good bit leaked into the Kentucky River. Lucky fish!