Major Fire at Jim Beam Aging Facility
Note: This story has been updated with an official statement from Jim Beam.
Jim Beam Distillery Official Statement
We are thankful that no one was injured in this incident, and we are grateful to the courageous firefighters from multiple jurisdictions who brought the fire under control and prevented it from spreading. Initial reports suggest that the fire resulted from a lightning strike, and we will work with local authorities to confirm the cause and to remediate the impacts.
We have a comprehensive warehouse safety program that includes regular inspections and rigorous protocols to promote safety and the security of our aging inventory. We operate 126 barrel warehouses in Kentucky that hold approximately 3.3 million barrels for our brands, and the warehouse that was destroyed contained 45,000 barrels of relatively young whiskey from the Jim Beam mash bill. Given the age of the lost whiskey, this fire will not impact the availability of Jim Beam for consumers.
We appreciate the support of our neighbors and the Kentucky Bourbon community as we manage through this incident.”
Two barrel warehouses at a Jim Beam aging facility caught fire at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. The aging facility is located at the historic Old Crow Distillery Company (DSP-KY-23) and is owned by Jim Beam. The facility is located on McCracken Pike and sits along Glenns Creek. Glenns Creek is also home to Castle & Key Distillery and Glenns Creek Distilling.
It appears that one warehouse initially caught fire and flames spread to a second structure. Crews were able to put out the flames in the second warehouse. Crews battled the fires all night and into the morning.
Officials estimate that 45,000 barrels of bourbon were in the warehouse. No injuries have been reported.
It is unknown at this time what caused the fire, but a lighting strike is suspected.
The Bourbon Lens will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.
