JAMES B. BEAM INSTITUTE FOR KENTUCKY SPIRITS |

Hand Sanitizer Production How-to

James B. Beam Institute is providing sanitizer to health care workers and instruction to spirits industry on process.

Learn more.

James B. Beam Distilling Co. Donates Equipment.

UK’s James B. Beam Institute Receives Donation of Distilling Equipment to Advance Teaching and Research.

Can you use a bourbon still to produce a 190 proof product?

Brad Berron discusses the use of a bourbon still to produce 190 proof product.

Watch now.

William Maxwell Reed Seminar Series presents Bourbon & Spacecraft

Alexandre Martin, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky will present his research on the heat treatment of bourbon barrels using methods designed to model the heat shields of space craft. The seminar was recorded and is accessible via Zoom.

Watch the presentation.

Independent Stave Company and the Boswell family give donation

Independent Stave Company and the Boswell Family are giving $1 million to the University of Kentucky to further spirits research at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. The gift will fund a maturation facility that will allow the Beam Institute to experiment with barrel aging spirits produced in its research distillery.

The Noble Oak

UK Partners With Bourbon Industry Leaders to Map White Oak Genome.

Don McGrew, Americas Blending Technical Manager for the James B. Beam Distilling Company

Don McGrew talks to UK students about the art of getting the right barrels in the right bottles.

UK Alumnus Shane Baker

Wilderness Trail's Shane Baker chats with faculty and students at UK.

UK Alumnus Dylan Shoulders

Dylan Shoulders, Distillery Supervisory for Buffalo Trace, presents KY Bourbon History to students in the Bourbon Engineering Course.

University of Kentucky and Jim Beam® Partner to Create the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits

Jim Beam® Bourbon will donate $5 million to the University of Kentucky to establish the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. The institute will educate the next generation of distillers through a curriculum that covers the skills needed to succeed in the distilled spirits industry at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.

James B Beam Institute

James B Beam Institute University of Kentucky

The James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits at the University of Kentucky is the bourbon industry’s research and development vehicle. The Beam Institute offers multidisciplinary research strengths to ensure sustained competitiveness of Kentucky’s spirits industry and its supply chain. A further commitment is to develop the state’s workforce and provide opportunities for economic growth via process efficiency and outreach. In creating exceptional teaching, research and outreach programs, the Beam Institute is a leader for Kentucky’s spirits industry from farm to product.

Mission

The James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits ensures the welfare and prosperity of Kentucky’s spirits industry. Through teaching, research and outreach, the Institute promotes economic sustainability, environmental stewardship and responsible consumption.

Vision

In creating a platform for research, education and outreach, the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits Institute will serve the spirits industry in Kentucky and help grow the state’s economy. Through these actions, the institute intensifies the shared values of the University of Kentucky and Beam Suntory.

Responsible Consumption Commitment

UK and Jim Beam are dedicated to the responsible consumption of alcohol and together will develop and expand successful alcohol awareness programs, including programming already funded by Beam Suntory. For more information on the University of Kentucky’s student well-being programs and services, visit WellKentucky and and the Student Wellness Center . To learn more about how alcohol affects you as an individual, and how to make the right choices for yourself and those around you, visit Drink Smart.

Partnership

Formed in 2019, the partnership between the University of Kentucky and Jim Beam® was created with the goal of facilitating the growth of Kentucky’s spirits industry. With the goal of supporting the development of Kentucky’s workforce, promoting Kentucky as the production and innovation capital of the bourbon industry, and building effective alcohol awareness initiatives, this partnership will promote the welfare, prosperity and sustainability of Kentucky’s spirits industry for generations to come.