BourbonAn American whiskey made from at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak — defined by law.
Straight bourbonBourbon aged at least two years with nothing added for colour or flavour. Jim Beam White is usually four.
Rye recipeA traditional bourbon using rye, not wheat, as the secondary grain — for a light spicy note.
Small batchA line built from a small selection of barrels. The Beam family's Booker's and Knob Creek belong here.
Range & Collections
White LabelThe roughly four-year flagship. The base of highballs and cocktails, and the best-selling bourbon in the world.
Black · Double OakLonger or second-barrel ageing builds oak and sweetness in the step-up bottlings.
Devil's CutA variant that pulls spirit out of the barrel wood for a richer pour.
Small Batch CollectionBooker's, Baker's, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden — the Beam family's premium set.
Limited · VintageRepeal Batch and other commemorative, limited releases.
Value by AgeData-based2026.6 as of
White LabelFlagship · mixing~£20
BlackMore-aged premium~£28
Knob Creek 9yoSmall batch~£45
★ Booker'sBarrel-proof small batch · Beam family premium~£90
Jim Beam's value is scale — the world's number-one bourbon — not the auction room. What collectors actually chase is the family's small batches: barrel-proof Booker's, gentler Basil Hayden, popular Knob Creek — a range that runs from entry to premium under the Beam name.
Prices are approximate retail / duty-free · Small batches at brand list price (volatile) · Not a personal tasting score
How It’s Made
Jim Beam is a straight bourbon made at Clermont, Kentucky. Its rye recipe — corn with rye and barley — carries a lighter spice than the wheated Pappy or Weller. The White Label ages around four years for a balance of corn sweetness, vanilla and oak, with weight building up the range through more wood and time. Under Beam Suntory, distribution runs deep across Japan and Asia.
Seven generationsSince Jacob Beam sold his first barrel in 1795, the Beam family has supplied master distillers for more than seven generations.
Rye recipeRye rather than wheat as the secondary grain gives a light spice, unlike the round sweetness of Pappy or Weller.
Home of small batchBooker's, Knob Creek, Basil Hayden — the Beam family opened the 1980s–90s wave of premium bourbon.
Friend of the highballPushed especially in Japan as the 'Jim Beam Highball', it widened the habit of drinking bourbon long and light.
History
It began in 1795 when Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of whiskey in Kentucky, and the Beam family has carried the trade for more than seven generations since. Established under the Jim Beam name after Prohibition, it was acquired in 2014 by Japan's Suntory — forming 'Beam Suntory' and making it the core bourbon of one of the world's three largest drinks groups.
How It’s Drunk
Jim Beam is close to the default that comes to mind at the word 'bourbon'. In its American home it is an everyday base for cocktails and highballs, and in Japan the 'Jim Beam Highball' has many drinking it long with soda. Less a bottle to dig deep into for aroma than the dependable bourbon you can find anywhere.
◆The Right GlassSignature
White Label is in its element long — a highball with soda, or mixed with cola or ginger ale — so a tall glass suits it. Stronger, more characterful small batches like Knob Creek and Booker's are better neat in a Glencairn, or opened slowly over one large cube.
