A warehouse fire at Jim Beam in Woodford County, Kentucky has destroyed 45,000 of bourbon, but the company has said the incident will not affect the availability of Jim Beam bourbon.
Beam spokesperson Dan Cohen said the company was relieved that no-one was injured in blaze, thanked the first responders for their efforts in tackling the fire, which he said appears to have been caused by a lightning strike.
“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,” Cohen said in a statement.
“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 ageing 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 neighbours and the Kentucky Bourbon community as we manage through this incident.”
Officials are assessing the environmental impact of bourbon leaking into nearby waterways, with barrels now being left to burn off to prevent more runoff pollution.