American Still Life: The Jim Beam Story and the Making of the World's #1 Bourbon

Foreword vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

PART ONE: THE FOUNDATIONS

1 Jacob Beam and Surviving in a Harsh Land 3

2 David Beam and Pre-Civil War Kentucky 37

3 David M. Beam and the Debris of War 59

PART TWO: THE DYNASTY

4 Jim Beam and the Making of a Bourbon Whiskey Brand 85

5 T. Jeremiah and Carl Beam: Jim Beam Bourbon Steps onto the World Stage 115

6 Booker Noe: Big Man, Small Batch 141

7 Other Beams: Behind Every Good Bourbon Whiskey 169

8 Finding a Crown for the Jewel 189

Appendix A Tasting Notes on Jim Beam Bourbons 209

Appendix B The Jim Beam Bourbon Timeline 221

Bibliography 229

Index 233