Jim Beam Distillery Getting Significant Visitor Upgrades For 2021

The Jim Beam American whiskey distillery, located in Clermont, Kentucky, has long been an extremely popular stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, pandemic era 2020 notwithstanding. Also known as the James B. Beam Distilling Co., it has been decided by the powers that be that it is time to do a significant upgrade of some of the visitor facilities, with a target date of late summer 2021 revealing “an elevated consumer experience.”

These planned changes at the Beam distillery and visitor’s center, according to those behind them, will keep the brand’s historic commitment to genuine bourbon with “an eye on the future to allow consumers to enjoy all its brands.” With this the changes will offer “expanded educational, historical, and culinary delights, giving loyal fans more reasons to visit more often.”

More specifically, according to information from the Beam folks, the new visitor experiences will include

• The American Outpost – Replacing the American Stillhouse, this unique visitor and retail center will honor the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s past. The original American Outpost was the first retail visitor experience in 1981, selling Jim Beam® merchandise. The American Outpost will also feature new tasting rooms, offering a more complete experience for the family of brands.
• The Kitchen Table – Inspired by the Noe family kitchen table, where generations have enjoyed bourbon and shared meals, The Kitchen Table will champion local farmers and producers. Visitors can take in the stunning views and unwind with world-class food and cocktails in this 5,000 square ft. restaurant and gathering space.
• “Beam Made Bourbon” – This immersive consumer tour is a visual educational experience showcasing how to make bourbon the “Beam Way,” and a stop in the Distillate Room, highlighting each brand’s unique distillation levers that help shape its character.
• Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery – The new home for small-batch and next-generation whiskies will also serve as a functional production facility to explore new fermentation and distillation techniques. Named after Seventh Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe, the craft distillery will offer distillation process sessions with Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Beam Distiller, hands-on activities in the blending lab, a tasting bar and a state-of-the-art classroom for the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits.

“We are so proud of our history and are thrilled to honor it through this new experience to best tell the stories of our family and the craft that we have such immense passion for,” said Freddie Noe, 8th generation Beam Distiller, in a prepared statement. “We are excited about the future and the impact we can have on the industry, and I can’t wait to give visitors an inside look at how we do things the Beam way, and to also have a hand in educating the next generation, too.”

Brands under Beam that will get increased exposure at the distillery include Jim Beam, Booker’s, Baker’s, Basil Hayden’s, Knob Creek, Little Book and Legent.

Plans are also in the works by Beam to “reimagine its consumer experience in Louisville.  While the James B. Beam Distilling Co. focuses on completion of this important work in Clermont, the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse in Louisville will close.

“Beam Suntory looks forward to bringing a bigger and better consumer experience to a new location in Louisville in the future.”