UK opened a new on-campus bourbon distillery, the James B. Beam Institute

There’s a new bourbon distillery in Kentucky, and it is located on UK’s campus.

On Monday, the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits cut its ribbon and officially opened its doors at the University of Kentucky. On hand at the opening ceremony were Fred Noe, a seventh-generation distiller and the great-grandson of Jim Beam; his son, Freddie Noe, the next in the long family line of Master Distillers; as well as UK President Eli Capilouto, Congressman Andy Barr, and other Jim Beam and University of Kentucky people.

The James B. Beam Institute was founded in 2019 for research, development, and education in Kentucky’s booming spirits industry. Now its brand-new facility is the largest teaching distillery in the world with a copper still standing 30 feet tall, and a maturation warehouse capable of storing 600 barrels of bourbon.

That’s a lot of juice.

UK President Eli Capilouto said, “Today reinforces our commitment to investing in our students and Kentucky’s future. It also reinforces the importance of our essential partnerships that will help us advance Kentucky. This new facility will help leverage transdisciplinary work and show students that the distilling industry needs employees from a vast array of disciplines and majors.”

You can find the institute near the corner of Nicholasville Road and Cooper Drive, so look over that way while you are tailgating for Kentucky football games in a few weeks.

James B. Beam Institute Still Install

For a closer look at the James B. Beam Institute and its towering copper still, watch the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment’s video of the still’s installation process.

The Beam Institute works with the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment; College of Engineering; College of Arts and Sciences; and Gatton College of Business and Economics.