New Jim Beam Web Site.

[cowdery]

Jim Beam has been rolling out new web stuff over the last few months. I have to say they're done an excellent job. I'm particularly impressed with this.

(In case the link gets stuck at the age verifier, it's the "Our Bourbon" page.)

I give Beam, and everybody else, grief about fabricating history. The way they handled it on this page is just about perfect. They manage to puff their product, as is their duty, while also being historically accurate. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?

I also like the very straightforward comparison. No bull, just age and proof. Good for them.

Is it possible they've actually listened to us?

[chilidawg7]

I like the part where you can drag bottles down to compare them.

I've seen a few videos on YouTube where Fred Noe does tastings with many of their products and found that to be informative - that may be something else to include on their site in the future.

[mozilla]

What did they say about Crow and Taylor? You did ask them didn't you?

Maybe, you can straiten them out on those two as well?

[Attila]

I like the part where you can drag bottles down to compare them.

Yeah, very cool. I only wish the PVW site had the same function.

[cowdery]

It's just the Beams and the Small Batch, none of the cats and dogs.

I spent some time with Fred the other day. I mentioned Crow, just saying that I thought they could do something with the brand if they wanted to. We talked about it a little bit. He did mention that in Australia they have an Old Crow and Cola RTD.

[JasonFalls]

Thanks for the props, Chuck. There has been a lot of rethinking at Beam this year from the marketing end of things and this is a direct result of that. It certainly is a direct result of listening to the consumer. As you've written before (thank you) the main outcome of that is TheStuffInside.com but the new Beam website overhaul sprung from those discussions as well.

We're happy some of what we're doing is proving to be good. Appreciate the notice.

[mozilla]

It's just the Beams and the Small Batch, none of the cats and dogs.

Seems odd that Beam is only working on their top shelf offerings.

How can they ignore the complete crap that they are bottling for their low shelf offerings. I have lost all respect for their whole line of products and quality because of their treatment of these cats and dogs.

"You are only as strong as your weakest link". And Beam has some really weak links.

I also don't feel like spending my money for all their advertising campaings to tell me how great their products are. If Beam really cared about what was in the bottle, then...we wouldn't be having this conversation. The whole product line would be outstanding instead of just the expensive bottles.

Come on Beam...quit trying to pull the wool over our well trained eyes. Your bourbon doesn't stand up to other distilleries from top to bottom, because you have ruined part of your lineup. Fix the cats and dogs....even if it is at the expense of your "Holy Grails" top shelf. Try showing the bourbon world that you actually care about the cat and dog drinkers and not just the profit margin labels. Until then, I will remain on the sideline...and not purchase any of your products. Even if you do spend alot of money on your website. I can't drink a website.

[mozilla]

Also, Chuck...you chew the ass of the non-producer distillers(NPD) like a hungry dog, most of the time.

Why are you so easy on Beam. Sure they make their own juice...so you know where it comes from. But, the quality of some of the Beam labels has got to be lower than some of the new NPD's. I would rather drink good bourbon not knowing where it came from than some of the known Beam labels.

Why are you not up their Bum about the quality of Crow and others? Are you freinds with the Beam Co.? Do you hate the NPD's? Am I way off base? What's the deal?

[cowdery]

I criticize Beam plenty, just ask them, but when they do something well, especially when they do something better than they were doing, it's worth giving them props. I do the same thing with the NDPs.

And I'm a friend to all!

[NorCalBoozer]

I think they are doing a great job of marketing the "Jim Beam" brand in a very similar vein to Jack Daniels. Jim Beam is certainly a "lifestyle" product that people are very loyal to and I think they can continue to grow that.

I think they would be better off totally segregating all the other non "Jim Beam" labeled products, such as the Small Batch, along with the other step children into a whole separate marketing scheme.

I think having the Small Batch there kind of sends a mixed message to the "Jim Beam" customers because the line doesn't carry across the "Jim Beam" brand or message.

Overall I commend them over the last few years for building the Jim Beam brand. Great job.

Greg

[cowdery]

I think Small Batch represents a recognition that even the loyal Beam drinker may want to try something in the superpremium vein and this shows them how they can do that within the Beam family, so they don't wander off and accidentally give that money to Brown-Forman.

If a Beam drinker wants to trade down, they don't offer a recommendation. Hence no mention of Crow, Taylor, Bellows, Old Bourbon Hollow, etc.

Since Bookers is named after Beam distiller Booker Noe, and Baker's is named after Beam distiller Baker Beam, the connection to Beam is there without one having to look very hard.

[NorCalBoozer]

I think Small Batch represents a recognition that even the loyal Beam drinker may want to try something in the superpremium vein and this shows them how they can do that within the Beam family, so they don't wander off and accidentally give that money to Brown-Forman.

If a Beam drinker wants to trade down, they don't offer a recommendation. Hence no mention of Crow, Taylor, Bellows, Old Bourbon Hollow, etc.

Since Bookers is named after Beam distiller Booker Noe, and Baker's is named after Beam distiller Baker Beam, the connection to Beam is there without one having to look very hard.

yes you've got a point about the trade up to super premium. Jack Daniels was successful at it.

The bridge from Jim Beam to Small Batch is not quite so clear since you lose the Jim Beam brand. I don't think the link to Booker or Baker is that clear in most peoples consciousness.

If they group and market them(JB and Small Batch) together then maybe they can help bridge that gap. I just think that a Jim Beam drinker would look to a Jim Beam branded product moreso than the Small Batch (right now) since they don't really promote the "Beam" connection on it's labels ,etc.

Heck I'd be happy if they did a Jim Beam Black 101.

[cowdery]

Since Beam Black is 8-years-old and 86 proof, it's getting close to the Small Batch, so that's really the initial step-up, or maybe from white to 7-year white, then up to black. You're right about the connection between Beam and Small Batch, but that's exactly why they do what we're talking about on the web site, so the connection is made somewhere in the public sphere. Then if a person picks up a bottle, especially of Booker's or Baker's, and reads the label and the hang tag, they'll get it there too, even though there's not a big "Beam" anywhere. I'm not saying it's perfect logic, but it seems to be working okay.

[gothbat]

Changing the country to (seemingly) anything other than the default for the country combo box will result in the following (see graphic). I like how they're trying to make it exclusive for Americans but there are cleaner ways to do this. :]

[craigthom]

Since Bookers is named after Beam distiller Booker Noe, and Baker's is named after Beam distiller Baker Beam, the connection to Beam is there without one having to look very hard.

And, entirely to their credit, the connection between Basil Hayden and Old Grand-Dad is there in the name. They don't talk about it, though (and they seem to have misread "mash bill" as "mash spill" in the description), because that would mean talking about Old Grand-Dad.

And why don't they? It's not bottom shelf, and it isn't less expensive than Beam. They get Knob Creek money for the 114, don't they?