why not a Jim Beam branded small batch??

[NorCalBoozer]

I don't know a lot of the history of Beam, so if the following is off, please correct me.

I am a bit perplexed with Jim Beam. It is a long established name, ala JD, yet they have what?? JB White, Black, Choice, Rye?? all under a $20 pricepoint and they are great bourbons for the price. But I don't understand why they don't have some higher end stuff with the beam name.

yes they have the small batch, but nothing with "Beam" on the label. I think it would be a slam dunk to have a small batch type bourbon with "Beam" on it. I bet it would be their highest small batch seller.

I mean you are getting built in consumers who already know the name. Most people don't know Bakers, Bookers, Basil Haydens are associated with Beam.

have they had this type of product in the past??

thoughts???

[bobbyc]

I don't know if this will help but the latest interstate Billboards they have put up say they didn't spend 210 years developing a label, It's what's inside that matters most.

I too wonder as you do, sometimes, they do have a stable of labels and could load the shelves with as diverse offerings as BT does. And they don't do it. I really think they are geared only to high production, even a Small Batch of Bookers is 150 or so barrels.

I'm good for a bottle or 2 of Single Barrel Old Taylor anytime they can get to it.

[TMH]

Interesting question.

My guess would be that the customers who are attracted to the Jim Beam name are not aware of or interested in small batch bourbons. Other factors may play a role in their purchasing JB, like price or nostalgia. The customers who are interested in small batch bourbons already know about JB's other offerings (KC,Bakers,Bookers).

Also, by introducing another label you run the risk of cannibalizing other products, like JB Black or KC.

The simpler the product offering, the less confusion, and the less potential for lost sales.

[NorCalBoozer]

good points. what is interesting is the effort Beam has made to distance Small Batch from Jim Beam. There is no mention or link to Small Batch site from Jim Beam site.

It's like Beam doesn't want the consumer to link Jim Beam to Small Batch. why? maybe for the reasons you mentioned.

and I do have to give props to KC. It's the star of the small batch group in terms of name recognition, sales, taste and price point.

Interesting question.

My guess would be that the customers who are attracted to the Jim Beam name are not aware of or interested in small batch bourbons. Other factors may play a role in their purchasing JB, like price or nostalgia. The customers who are interested in small batch bourbons already know about JB's other offerings (KC,Bakers,Bookers).

Also, by introducing another label you run the risk of cannibalizing other products, like JB Black or KC.

The simpler the product offering, the less confusion, and the less potential for lost sales.

[barturtle]

I think that customer perception is a key point here. If they were to market a small-batch wih the Beam label, many of their regular customers (by this, I mean, the ones who don't pay attention to top-shelf stuff or who wouldn't know that the small-batch collection is taken from the "same" stocks as Beam's other whiskies) might be lead to believe that Beam has taken the "good" whiskey out of the regular bottlings and put it in this much more expensive bottle. Many of there customers would be very upset and possibly switch to another bourbon.

...of course these same customers, not knowing any better, might just switch to another Beam product

[camduncan]

They distribute 2 other bottles that we see Downunder & Duty Free. Both are Jim Beam Brands. The Bonded is available Duty Free (it has 'seeped' into the retail market over the last year or two), and the Small Batch has port added and seems to only be available in our market.
However, I too am perplexed at the marketing choices they make..

The first picture shows the Jim Beam Bonded on the left with its box to the immediate right of it.
The 2nd picture shows the Jim Beam Small Batch with Port added..

[camduncan]

And the 2nd picture -

[cowdery]

I can provide a little historical context, as well as some strategic marketing context.

Prior to 1987, Jim Beam was pretty much a single brand company. Jim Beam (white label) bourbon was the flagship and the only product that said "Jim Beam" on the label, but just about everything else they sold had "Beam" on the label in some context. Some of these were higher-end products, such as the original "Beam's Black Label," which was an 8-year-old straight bourbon. Some were blends and other cheaper products. They even had a tequila they called "Beamero."

Then, in 1987, they merged with (acquired, really) National Distillers and gained a huge portfolio with brands in just about every distilled spirits segment, including more than 40 different bourbon brands. They spent a lot of time paring that down. I think that experience gave them a healthy regard for out-of-control brand proliferation.

During that period, they also got rid of "Beamero" and the other cats and dogs they sold under the "Beam's" name, since they had any number of old National names to use for any segment they needed to be in. They also held to their strategy of not putting the full "Jim Beam" name on anything except white label. It was a fairly big deal when they came out with "Jim Beam Black Label." So they are very concerned about diluting the brand or confusing consumers about what the brand stands for, which is authentic bourbon whiskey at an affordable price.

The big thing you have to remember is that white label is a high volume, low margin product while the small batch brands are low volume, high margin. The "Jim Beam" brand is in the former business, not the latter. The difference between the two is huge. For about 50 minutes of every hour the two Jim Beam whiskey distilleries are operating, they are making Jim Beam White Label. Everything else is made in the remaining ten minutes.

[NorCalBoozer]

great pictures! so is that bonded a 12 y.o. at 100 proof???

hows it taste? what's it go for?

[camduncan]

I'm not sure if it's a 12yo - actually, I can't recall an age statement on the bottle. I'll have a look tonight when I get home.
It retails for about $65au in shops and about $35 duty free from memory..
As for taste, I haven't had any in some months, so can't really offer a good opinion. Maybe I can rectify that this weekend