Jim Beam is a brand of the number 1 selling bourbon in the world. It was founded by Jacob Beam in 1795 in Kentucky, USA under the name Old Tub Bourbon. In 1934 the brand changed its name to Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Jim Beam has been run by one family for seven generations and was sold to Suntory Holdings in 2014. Today the company is called Beam Suntory.
Over 40 million liters of Jim Beam Bourbon are sold worldwide each year, making the brand one of the world leaders in its segment. Born in the birthplace of Bourbon, Kentucky, the brand has been following the rich traditions laid down by its founder for centuries, passing down the recipe for great whiskey from generation to generation.
Jim Beam was created using a formula that has been unchanged since 1795. It was then that the first bottle of corn bourbon was produced. From this year it is accepted to count down the history of the brand. However, the company received its current name only almost a hundred years later, when James Beam, a descendant of the founder, took over the family business. Speaking of Bourbon, this amber-colored hard liquor was named after Bourbon County in Kentucky, where it was first produced.
So, having survived many hardships and, most importantly, the American Prohibition, Jim Beam remains one of the most famous bourbons in the whole world, keeping its original traditional recipe. At least 51% of the mash, by accepted standards, is created from corn. “Jim Beam” is aged for 4 years in new charred barrels made from white oak wood.
The original logo of the famous bourbon manufacturer was designed in 1795 and featured the name James B. Beam written in the center in bold red capitals of a rounded wishbone-style typeface. The inscription was accompanied by additional lettering in different fonts, and a black-and-white portrait of the company’s founder, enclosed into a circular frame and placed on top of the composition.
The redesign of 1880 has introduced a label for the new bourbon brand, the Old Tub. The concept was based on an enlarged arched wordmark in bright red, set above a delicate contoured emblem depicting a wooden barrel, and a bold uppercase “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey” tagline written in a classy serif typeface.
The Jim Beam logo has become iconic. It’s traditional quality red seal with a single letter “B” ( to represent “Beam” – a nod to the company’s legacy), the brand’s name “Jim Beam” and a year of it’s foundation, is highly recognizable all over the world and is used on many more items than just bourbon bottles.
The Jim Beam main color palette is a classic white-black-red scheme, but the colors vary depending on the product. Four of the products—Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Jim Beam Rye, Jim Beam Black and Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon—feature a bolder, more rectangular bottle structure with premium label enhancements, including extra detailing, crafted borders, gold foil finishes, refined embossing and a matte paper stock, with a matte-finished shrink sleeve along the closure.
The key to Jim Beam iconic vision was the big idea of family – encapsulating the unique heritage of the Beam family, who are respectfully referred to by many as the first family of bourbon. To promote and celebrate this special spirit, a design philosophy called ‘Living Legacy’ was created.
The Jim Beam logo reflects the brand’s connection of its past and future and represents a united family of products that tell an American story.
By building a successful brand personality, Jim Beam has been able to create a “Tribe”, people who love them for who they are and what they stand for, creating a strong loyalty for the brand, people who act as everyday brand ambassadors.
In 2023 the Jim Beam logo got refined, keeping the main elements but bringing in more style and character into them. The lettering became more serious due to the golden shadow replaced by black and white contours. As for the emblem, both red and gold shades became deeper and calmer, creating a sleek and elegant look of a stylized wax seal and a wide gold ribbon behind it.
The Jim Beam bottle has a bold structure with a clean label design, distiller portraits and a refined ‘rosette’ logo, to tie together the brand’s flavored product range, which includes Jim Beam Apple, Jim Beam Honey, Jim Beam Maple and Red Stag by Jim Beam.
Placing distiller portraits on the bottle is very important for the company. Seventh generation master distiller and Jim Beam’s great-grandson, Fred Noe comments: “This represents another historic milestone in my family’s history. I’ve always been proud to see the faces of every Beam master distiller displayed on Jim Beam bottles across the world and these bottles feel even better in my hands when pouring this fine bourbon.”