Jim Beam Distillery to Pay $712,000 for Fish Kill from Bourbon Barrel Warehouse Fire and Spirits Runoff

Posted on December 31, 2019
By Distillery Trail
In Blog

Jim Beam - Old Crow Distillery Company Barrel Warehouse Fire July 2019, Must Pay More Than $712,000 in Fines and Fees

It wasn’t really a question of ‘if’ Jim Beam would get fined, it was a matter of ‘when’ and ‘how much’ they would get fined.

In the middle of a summer dry spell a barrel warehouse at the Old Crow Distillery was struck by lighting around 11:30pm on July 2, 2019. That lighting ignited a roof on fire. That fire soon jumped to a second identical warehouse. Thanks to the quick action of local firefighters one warehouse was saved while the other holding 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam Kentucky Bourbon was totally destroyed and the beloved amber spirit found its way into nearby Glenns Creek along McCracken Pike in Versailles, Kentucky. The trail of fallen high proof spirits created a 23 mile flume that proved toxic to local aquatic life. It finally dissipated when it made its way to the Ohio River.

Jim Beam Distillery - Water between Glenns Creek and the Kentucky River, Photo courtesy of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet — July 3 photo of Glenns Creek and the Kentucky River. Photo courtesy of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.

Jim Beam Distillery - Old Crow Barrel Warehouse, Truck in the Rumble — What’s left of a Jim Beam truck after the fire.

The good news is that no humans were hurt during this horrific fire. The fish and aquatic life in the creeks and rivers were not so lucky. According to the Courier Journal, “Jim Beam Brands Co. was fined $600,000 by Kentucky’s environmental agency. Jim Beam agreed to the fine in a December 6 order from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, and it will also reimburse the state agency $112,000 for its costs.”

There could be additional fees or fines if the state finds additional damage to the surrounding bodies of water in the upcoming months.

Jim Beam Distillery - The Old Crow Barrel Warehouse Fire, Adding Fresh Water to the Creek — Recovery crews were aerating the creek soon after the fire was extinguished.

Kentucky River - Bourbon Runoff Fish Kill — Photo courtesy of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.

Jim Beam Bourbon - The Old Crow Distillery July 2019, PECCO Truck Working on Cleanup — PECCO – Perdue Environmental Contracting Co crew working on cleanup.

Not including any barrels that may have been saved the massive fire burned up approximately 1.4% of Jim Beam’s total bourbon inventory of 3,300,000 barrels at the time of the fire.

And if you are wondering, yes, there was a sprinkler system in place in the buildings but trying to stop 45,000 barrels of 125 proof bourbon from burning is a near impossible task. Fortunately no distillery employees or firefighters were injured during the event.

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