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Fire destroys Jim Beam warehouse filled with 45,000 bourbon barrels
A fire destroyed a massive Jim Beam warehouse filled with 45,000 barrels of bourbon, sending flames shooting into the night sky and generating so much heat that firetruck lights melted, authorities said Wednesday.
Firefighters from four counties responded to the blaze that erupted late Tuesday. Lightning might have been a factor, but fire investigators haven't been able to start looking for the cause, Woodford County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler said.
No injuries were reported, Chandler said. The fire was contained but was being allowed to burn for several more hours Wednesday, he said.
[...] Officials from Jim Beam's parent company, Suntory Food and Beverage, said the multi-story warehouse that burned contained "relatively young whiskey," meaning it had not reached maturity for bottling for consumers. "Given the age of the lost whiskey, this fire will not impact the availability of Jim Beam for consumers," the spirits company said in a statement. The whiskey maker suffered a total loss in the warehouse. The destroyed whiskey amounted to about 1% of Beam's bourbon inventory, it said.
Also at CNN.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday July 03 2019, @06:49PM (3 children)
If only Robbie the robot were around.
Keep your spirits up, folks.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @11:25PM
uhh, the spirits are burning away in a fire.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday July 03 2019, @11:50PM (1 child)
If only BFR was ready, those spirits could have been raised above the lighting altitude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Thursday July 04 2019, @08:06AM
Someone already tried it a few years back.
https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/10/9300435/whiskey-space-taste-test-ardbeg-distillery-nanoracks [theverge.com]
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @07:20PM (4 children)
Sampling the goods while smoking again?
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Wednesday July 03 2019, @09:23PM (3 children)
I wouldn't expect him to answer. He's still in the initial shock and the first stage of grief.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday July 04 2019, @01:16AM (2 children)
I'm not all that upset, as Jim Beam is the poor man's Jack Daniel's. And Evan Williams is the poor man's Jim Beam. And Scots Whisky is the rich man's paint remover.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 04 2019, @02:54AM
Honestly, I prefer the green or black label Jim Beam over Jack.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Hartree on Thursday July 04 2019, @08:04AM
Yeah, Scotch isn't my first choice. It usually tastes like bottled peat bog mixed with a fair helping of petroleum.
I have friends who are afficionados of it, and they're welcome to it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @08:18PM
Looks like a 1995 website.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @09:17PM (1 child)
Think how many people will stay sober, not die in crashes or need dialysis.
(Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Thursday July 04 2019, @12:17AM
People had the same thought about the collapse of the Russian economy meaning less deaths from Vodka abuse.
Turns out that the substitutes were often much nastier.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday July 03 2019, @09:23PM
Of just bourbon: https://www.wkyt.com/content/news/Barrel-warehouses-at-Kentucky-distillery-catch-fire-512156632.html [wkyt.com]
Well, 198 now. Apparently they sell 50 warehouses full per year: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+long+does+jim+beam+age [google.com]
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 5, Funny) by redneckmother on Wednesday July 03 2019, @09:48PM
Why do 9 out of every 10 Southern Baptist preachers drink Jim Beam?
Square bottles don't roll out from under the car seat.
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Gaaark on Wednesday July 03 2019, @09:48PM (7 children)
So, did they view the 'security' of their bourbon the same way as most corporations view security: an acceptable loss?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @10:16PM
Yes - and they will respond just like tech companies respond to 'security incidents': file an insurance claim and carry on business as usual. That's why there will not be any improvement in 'security' until the costs of not doing 'security' are more than the cost to insure against the potential loss.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday July 03 2019, @11:30PM (5 children)
If they lose 1% of their warehouse capacity every 20 years this way, yeah, that's probably an acceptable loss compared to beefing up security or even fire safety.
Old buildings are cheap, extra headcount for security or even construction labor for structure remediation is expensive. And their product doesn't cost very much to produce, as compared to what it sells for.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 04 2019, @12:29AM (1 child)
You know what's very expensive to replace? Those 45,000 aged barrels. Those are key to the flavor of the product.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday July 04 2019, @02:57AM
Doesn't bourbon require new barrels? Yep: https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/bourbon-barrels-why-exactly-must-they-be-new/ [thewhiskeywash.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Gaaark on Thursday July 04 2019, @02:55AM (2 children)
But then 3 people die in the fire: what is the TCO now?
3 people die in a fire, once a year every 3 years. TCO?
That's what i see in 'corporate security': millions of people's private data stolen, but who cares because zero executives are held accountable and the hit to their bottom line is like a smack on the hand.
Make the TCO cost enough to make 'security' become important.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Thursday July 04 2019, @02:37PM (1 child)
>But then 3 people die in the fire: what is the TCO now?
In the 1980s, when these decisions were last considered by the corporation, corporate liability for 3 "accidental" deaths would have been about $30,000 (well established in air-crashes, etc.)
In 2020, if we get 4 more years of "business friendly" administration, maybe even less.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday July 04 2019, @03:17PM
Sadly, you are CORRECT, SIR!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @10:28PM (4 children)
Stuff is only good for engine de-greasing...
(Score: 4, Funny) by Rupert Pupnick on Wednesday July 03 2019, @10:45PM
And melting the lights on fire trucks.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday July 03 2019, @11:53PM
Not even. Vodka's still more effective and cheaper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 04 2019, @04:14AM
Useful for killing insects and cleaning the toilet
(Score: 3, Insightful) by theluggage on Thursday July 04 2019, @02:10PM
You forget: the purpose of bourbon is to season the oak barrels so that they can be used for maturing proper whisky [whisky.com]...
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday July 04 2019, @03:41PM
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2019/06/17/o-z-tyler-distillery-rickhouse-partially-collapses-owensboro-kentucky/1476043001/ [courier-journal.com]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---