Jim Beam fire destroys barrels of bourbon, pollutes rivers

Fire destroys Jim Beam warehouse with 45,000 barrels of bourbon, spilling whiskey into US rivers.

Flames and smoke rise from a bourbon warehouse fire in Kentucky. Picture: AP

A fire destroyed a massive Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 45,000 barrels of ageing bourbon in Kentucky, and state officials worried that run-off whiskey seeping into nearby waterways would kill fish.

Firefighters from four counties responded to a blaze that sent flames shooting into the night sky and generated so much heat that firetruck lights melted.

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.

The warehouse was a total loss. Looking to reassure consumers of Jim Beam bourbon, Beam Suntory indicated it amounted to a drop of the iconic brand’s total ageing inventory.

No injuries were reported, Mr Chandler said. The fire was contained but was allowed to burn until midday the next day, he said.

“The longer it burns, the more of the distilled spirits burn with it,” he said in a phone interview. “So when they go to put it out, there will be less contaminated run-off that goes into a drinking-water tributary.”

Firefighters later doused the warehouse’s charred remains with water to try to extinguish the fire.

As they kept working, the focus turned to the environmental impact of the leaking bourbon. The distiller hired an emergency clean-up crew and state environmental officials were co-ordinating efforts to control bourbon run-off into a nearby creek that flows into the Kentucky River, said John Mura, a spokesman for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.

“We do know there has been run-off enter the creek,” Mr Mura said. “And it has made its way into the Kentucky River.”

The run-off could have a “serious impact on aquatic life,” he said.

Run-off is expected to create “low dissolved oxygen levels,” which could result in substantial fish kills, the agency said in a release.

State officials warned recreational users on the Kentucky River that run-off will result in water discolouration, foaming and an odour.

Beam Suntory officials said they are working with authorities to assess environmental effects.

Bourbon mixes with water in the Kentucky River following the warehouse blaze. Picture: AP

The distilling company said the multi-story warehouse that burned contained “relatively young whiskey,” meaning it had not reached maturity for bottling for consumers. Bourbon acquires its colour and flavour while ageing for years in charred new oak barrels.

“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 destroyed whiskey amounted to about 1 per cent of Beam’s bourbon inventory, it said.

One standard bourbon barrel usually holds about 53 gallons of bourbon that eventually turns into around 150 to 200 750 millilitre bottles, the Courier Journal reported. If all the barrels held bourbon, that would be a loss of at least six million bottles, the Louisville newspaper reported.

A second warehouse sustained minor exterior damage but its contents remained intact, the company said.

Bottles of Jim Beam inside a Kentucky bottling plant. Picture: Getty Images

Jim Beam is the world’s best-selling bourbon brand. The classic American whiskey brand is owned by Suntory Holdings, a Japanese beverage company.

Beam Suntory said it operates 126 barrel warehouses in Kentucky that hold about 3.3 million barrels for its brands.

Kentucky distillers produce 95 per cent of the world’s bourbon, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

AP