Jim Beam Distillery Tour Guide 2026
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. campus sits at 568 Happy Hollow Road in Clermont, Kentucky, south of Louisville in the Bardstown and beyond cluster, on a 400-plus-acre property. The company counts seven generations of the founding family making bourbon since 1795, when Jacob Beam is said to have sold his first barrel in Kentucky.
Jim Beam Quick Facts
- Official name and address James B. Beam Distilling Co., 568 Happy Hollow Road, Clermont, KY 40110
- Location cluster Bardstown and beyond; south of Louisville on I-65, on the way toward Bardstown
- Visits Beam Made Bourbon tour, about 75 minutes; Knob Creek bottling line, about 30 minutes; craft distillery tour, about 60 minutes
- Time to allow About 90 minutes for a standard tour
- Knob Creek bottling The bottle is bought separately
- On-site restaurant The Kitchen Table
- Tickets Included, booked once your tour is confirmed
The Founding Family Story: Jacob Beam to Today
The company dates the family's whiskey to 1795, when Jacob Beam is said to have sold his first barrel in Kentucky. By its count, the founding family has made whiskey in Kentucky for seven generations since then, with a break for Prohibition.
James B. Beam, known as Colonel Jim Beam, rebuilt the operation after Prohibition ended and is the figure whose name the modern brand carries. He got production running again within 120 days of repeal. The family home and the land around the Clermont campus are part of the story the tour tells, and the sense of place is genuine.
The craft distillery on the Clermont campus opened in 2021 and houses the small-batch and experimental work that informs products across the portfolio.
Booker Noe, Jim Beam's grandson, oversaw production for decades and introduced his small-batch, barrel-strength whiskey to the Beam lineup in 1988. Booker's carries his name. A statue of Booker Noe and his dog Dot stands on the campus grounds.
The Beam Lineup: What You Are Tasting
The Clermont campus represents not one brand but a family of brands owned by the James B. Beam Distilling Co., part of Suntory Global Spirits, each with a distinct mash bill, age profile, and proof.
Jim Beam White Label
The flagship of the Beam lineup. 80 proof, 4 years old, 77% corn mash bill, and a common reference point for Kentucky bourbon in bars across the country.
Jim Beam Double Oak
A twice-barreled expression: standard Jim Beam aged in new charred oak barrels, then finished in a second new charred oak barrel. The double barrel aging adds additional vanilla and caramel layers on top of the standard profile.
Basil Hayden
80 proof, high-rye mash bill, lighter and spicier than the standard Jim Beam profile. The gateway expression for drinkers moving from other spirits into bourbon.
Knob Creek
Small-batch, 9-year-old expression at 100 proof or higher depending on the release. The bourbon used in the Knob Creek bottling line experience. Knob Creek Single Barrel runs higher proof and reflects individual barrel character.
Booker's
Unfiltered, uncut, straight from the barrel. The cask-strength expression from the small-batch collection named for Booker Noe. Proofs vary by batch, typically running from 120 to 130-plus. Released in named batches, each a distinct blend of barrels selected by the production team.
Baker's
7-year-old single barrel bourbon at 107 proof, part of the small-batch collection.
Old Grand-Dad
A high-rye mash bill bourbon produced at the Beam campus. The Bottled-in-Bond expression is 100 proof and four years old.
Bourbon basics
The Beam lineup is a good place to learn how bourbon categories work; these guides explain the terms you will hear on the tour.
- Jim Beam White Label
- Jim Beam Double Oak
- Basil Hayden
- Knob Creek
- Booker's
- Baker's
- Old Grand-Dad
Every Experience Available at Jim Beam in 2026
All tours and experiences at James B. Beam Distilling Co. are booked for you against your actual dates once your tour is confirmed. Holiday dates are subject to distillery availability.
When you visit Jim Beam with BourbonTown Tours, distillery tickets and tasting fees are part of the private tour rate: $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity.
Beam Made Bourbon / Bourbon the Beam Way
Duration: approximately 75 minutes.
The anchor production tour. A guided walkthrough covering what defines bourbon, how it is made, and how the founding family's history shaped the category. Campus elements include the production buildings associated with Jim Beam, Basil Hayden, and Knob Creek and the rackhouses holding the aging inventory. The tour closes with a structured tasting of Jim Beam and other portfolio bourbons.
Available multiple times daily on all open days.
Knob Creek Bottling Line Experience
Duration: approximately 30 minutes.
On the Knob Creek T-Line, visitors bottle their own Knob Creek bourbon: an Ambassador walks the group through the grain-to-bottle story, then the group moves to the bottling line. Each person fills their own bottle with Knob Creek and seals it by pressing their thumbprint into the warm wax.
The thumbprint in the wax seal is the specific detail that sets this experience apart. The bottle is personal to whoever sealed it. The group photo holding their finished bottles is one of the stronger images from any Kentucky distillery visit.
The bottle of Knob Creek is bought separately. Standard distillery experiences are included; premium and VIP add-ons are quoted on your planning call. The bottle is yours to take home.
The bottling experience is often offered as a scheduled add-on or as part of group and event programming. It fills on peak weekends; we reserve it once your tour is confirmed. BourbonTown Tours prioritizes securing this slot when bachelor parties, birthday groups, and corporate events request it.
Craft Distillery Tour on the Clermont Campus
Duration: approximately 60 minutes.
The craft distillery on the Clermont campus is a separate, newer facility that opened in 2021 to house small-batch bourbons and innovation work. This is not open to daily drop-in visitors. Access is via a scheduled craft distillery tour or private experience only.
The tour covers small-batch and innovation-scale stills and process areas, experimental mash bills and aging approaches, and the R&D-style work that informs products across the Beam portfolio. For groups that specifically want to see operational equipment, this is the tour to book.
Closes with a tasting of appropriate Beam small-batch expressions.
Warehouse Experience
A focused maturation experience in one of the oldest rackhouses on the Clermont campus. Discussion of barrel aging, warehouse position and its effect on flavor, the angel's share, and how single-barrel and small-batch programs are selected from the aging inventory. The smell of a Beam rackhouse at full capacity is cited in visitor reviews as one of the most memorable sensory experiences of any distillery visit. Often configured as a component for groups and events.
Tasting Experience
A guided bourbon tasting without the production tour, focused on tasting technique and the Beam portfolio. Seated or bar-style, covering how to nose and taste bourbon and a comparison of several Beam brands: Jim Beam White, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, and Booker's to show how mash bill, age, and proof produce different finished expressions.
Craft a Cocktail Experience
A hands-on cocktail class led by a James B. Beam mixologist using Beam bourbons. Guests build classic and modern bourbon cocktails with instruction on balance, tools, and technique. Configured primarily as a group and corporate add-on. Available on selected dates.
Sensory Whiskey Experience
A technical look at bourbon sensory evaluation: the ingredients, aromas, appearance, and taste of the spirit with emphasis on isolating grain notes, wood influence, and different stages of maturation. How distillation decisions show up in the glass. Geared toward enthusiasts and corporate groups who want more substance than a standard tasting. Offered on selected dates.
Preston was wonderful. He shared some interesting facts and information along the way, as well as some great recommendations for the rest of our stay in Louisville. He planned the perfect itinerary for our day in bourbon country!
My group had a great experience with BourbonTown Tours from start to finish! From speaking and emailing with Ron to get our transportation and itinerary ironed out, to spending the day with our driver, Reid.
Our coordination leading up to our tour was great, communication was great. Our driver Tommy was professional, knowledgeable, and punctual. Would absolutely recommend them and use them in the future.
The Kitchen Table Restaurant
The Kitchen Table replaced Fred's Smokehouse as the campus's primary food operation. Kentucky classics with a Beam twist: smoked and grilled meats, burgers, sandwiches, sharables, and bourbon-paired desserts, with a full cocktail and whiskey list. Indoor and outdoor seating with distillery views.
A sit-down lunch on the campus keeps the day simple. When the schedule allows, we book and confirm your table at The Kitchen Table as part of the day; the meal is on your tab.
How BourbonTown Tours Builds a Jim Beam Day
Jim Beam in Clermont sits in the Bardstown and beyond cluster, south of Louisville on the way toward Bardstown and Maker's Mark, which makes it a natural first stop on a day that starts in Louisville.
The Knob Creek bottling experience is the anchor for a Jim Beam day. It fills on peak weekends, so the rest of the day is built around it.
A Clermont and Loretto day: Jim Beam in the morning for the campus history, the small-batch tasting and the Knob Creek bottling experience, lunch at The Kitchen Table, then Maker's Mark in the afternoon for the Star Hill Farm campus and bottle dipping (each guest buys the bottle they dip). The Knob Creek thumbprint bottle in the morning, a red-wax Maker's Mark bottle in the afternoon.
A Clermont and Bardstown day: Jim Beam in the morning, then Heaven Hill in Bardstown in the afternoon, where You Do Bourbon can be added. Two family stories, one cluster.
BourbonTown Tours private tours run $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee, and cover everything except lunch and driver gratuity.
What Visitors Say About Jim Beam
Groups praise the scale and the family story. Walking into a Beam rackhouse holding tens of thousands of barrels produces an immediate physical understanding of what bourbon production at scale actually looks like: the smell, the size and the rows of barrels stretching back into the dark are not replicable through any description.
The Knob Creek bottling experience earns exceptional reviews. It photographs well, it tells a specific story, and it produces something the visitor made themselves.
Lunch at The Kitchen Table, without leaving the campus, simplifies the day for groups with limited time.
When to Visit Jim Beam
Year-round
Jim Beam works in any season. Holiday dates are subject to distillery availability.
Peak booking windows
The Knob Creek bottling experience and the tour of the craft distillery on the Clermont campus fill on peak Fridays and Saturdays. We book both once your tour is confirmed and list them in your itinerary. For the wider picture, see how to plan a Kentucky bourbon trip.
Summer
The 400-plus-acre campus grounds, the outdoor seating at The Kitchen Table, and the outdoor areas around the rackhouses are at their best in summer. Groups doing outdoor photography appreciate the campus in full green.
Derby Week
Jim Beam sits south of Louisville on the way toward Bardstown, close enough that Derby Week visitors can do a Jim Beam day and return to Louisville for evening events without logistical pressure.
BourbonTown Tours Pro Tip
The tour of the craft distillery on the Clermont campus is the right booking for a group that wants to see small-batch distilling up close. It is a separate 60-minute tour that needs its own booking and is not part of the standard campus tour.
The Booker's batch release naming convention is worth understanding before the tasting. Each Booker's release is given a name by the production team and carries specific batch notes that reflect the barrels selected. Asking the guide why a batch got its name and how its barrels were chosen opens a real conversation about production decisions.
Getting to Jim Beam: Directions
James B. Beam Distilling Co. is at 568 Happy Hollow Road in Clermont, Kentucky. From Louisville, take I-65 South to the Clermont exit and follow signs to Happy Hollow Road. From Lexington, take the Bluegrass Parkway west to connecting state routes. From Bardstown, take state highways northwest to the Clermont area.
The campus entrance is well-signed. Parking is on-site, with room for large vehicles. Arrive before your scheduled experience start time to allow for check-in, restrooms, and a quick look at the campus before the experience begins.
What Pairs With Jim Beam in One Day
Jim Beam sits at the geographic junction of Louisville departures and the mid-state distillery corridor; see every Kentucky distillery we visit, by cluster and private bourbon tours from Bardstown.
Maker's Mark, Loretto(about 30 minutes past Bardstown)
A hands-on day. Jim Beam for the Knob Creek thumbprint bottle and the scale of the Clermont campus. Maker's Mark for the Star Hill Farm campus and the wax bottle-dipping experience, where the dipped bottle is the guest's purchase. The contrast between the industrial scale of Clermont and the historic handcrafted character of Loretto teaches more about the range of American bourbon production than any single stop can. Read the Maker's Mark distillery guide.
Heaven Hill, Bardstown(same cluster)
Jim Beam in the morning and family-owned Heaven Hill in the afternoon: two large operations, two family stories, one cluster. Read the Heaven Hill distillery guide.
The Bardstown stops(Willett, Preservation, Bardstown Bourbon Company)
For groups heading south from Jim Beam toward Bardstown, the artisan stops at Willett and Preservation provide a clear contrast to the Jim Beam scale story: see the Willett distillery guide and the Preservation distillery guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Knob Creek bottling experience at Jim Beam?
On the Knob Creek T-Line, visitors fill a bottle with Knob Creek bourbon on the bottling line and seal it by pressing their thumbprint into the warm wax. The bottle is bought separately and is theirs to take home. It can sell out on weekends and in peak seasons, and we book it once your tour is confirmed.
Where is the Jim Beam distillery?
Jim Beam is in Clermont, south of Louisville on I-65, in the Bardstown and beyond cluster on the way toward Bardstown and Maker's Mark. Bardstown itself is about 50 minutes from Louisville. We pick your group up at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington and do the driving for the day.
What is the craft distillery on the Clermont campus?
A smaller, experimental distillery facility opened on the Clermont campus in 2021 to house small-batch bourbon and innovation work. It is not open to drop-in visitors: access is through a separately booked 60-minute tour, the best way to see small-batch distilling on the campus.
Is there a restaurant at Jim Beam?
Yes. The Kitchen Table on the campus serves Kentucky classics, including smoked and grilled meats, burgers, sandwiches and bourbon-paired desserts, with indoor and outdoor seating and distillery views. We book and confirm the lunch reservation as part of your day, and the meal is on your tab.
What brands are produced at the Jim Beam Clermont campus?
The Clermont campus produces Jim Beam (including White Label, Double Oak, and variations), Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Booker's, Baker's, and Old Grand-Dad, among others. The craft distillery on the Clermont campus handles experimental and small-batch work. The brands belong to the James B. Beam Distilling Co., part of Suntory Global Spirits.
What distilleries pair well with Jim Beam for a full day?
Maker's Mark in Loretto and Heaven Hill in Bardstown, both in the same Bardstown and beyond cluster. Jim Beam and Maker's Mark make a hands-on day: the Knob Creek thumbprint bottle in the morning and a red-wax Maker's Mark bottle in the afternoon. Allow two hours at Maker's Mark. Willett and Preservation sit a short drive from Heaven Hill.
Plan Your Private Jim Beam Day
BourbonTown Tours books every reservation, including the Knob Creek bottling line that fills on peak days, builds the itinerary around what is available on your dates, and adjusts on the day if anything changes. Every tour is 100% private.
3,000+ private tours since 2012. Never mixed with strangers.