This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
On July 3, 2019, a fire broke out in a warehouse in Woodford County, Kentucky, containing 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam bourbon. Fire officials decided to let the fire burn to avoid contaminating a nearby creek that runs into the Kentucky River.
The fire started around 11 p.m. on Tuesday and was still burning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. No injuries were reported, and firefighters were spraying water on nearby buildings to prevent the fire from spreading.
According to Drew Chandler, the Woodford County emergency management director, the biggest issue was the environmental aspect. He explained that if they put the fire out, they would dump a lot of water on it, and that water would be contaminated.
Emily York, a spokeswoman for Jim Beam, stated that initial reports suggested the fire resulted from a lightning strike. She added that the company would work with local authorities to confirm the cause and to remediate the impacts.
The warehouse is one of 126 barrel warehouses that Jim Beam operates in Kentucky, holding a total of 3.3 million barrels of bourbon for the Jim Beam brand.
Estimates suggest that the fire caused roughly $122 million to $162 million in lost revenue, as a standard barrel typically produces 150 to 200 750-milliliter bottles of bourbon.
