Bourbon drinkers around the world mourn as this sad week brings the destruction of one Jim Beam Kentucky warehouse.
A Jim Beam warehouse in Versailles, Kentucky was engulfed into flames along with 45,000 barrels of bourbon. The company claims that a lightning strike was the probable cause according to initial reports. The fire started from Tuesday and burned through Thursday.
Jim Beam released a statement addressing the issue. The company expressed its relief as no one was reportedly injured in the incident. They also went on to thank the firefighters who made efforts to control the fire.
“We are thankful that no one was injured in this incident, and we are grateful to the courageous firefighters from multiple jurisdictions who brought the fire under control and prevented it from spreading.”
See the video of the massive destruction below:
Still scorching: Nearly 12 hours later, firefighters are still trying to put out the fire at the @JimBeam warehouse in central Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/JnM0i4V9Lx
— WLKY (@WLKY) July 3, 2019
Fans of the alcoholic beverage can breathe easy. The availability of Jim Beam won’t be affected by the fire as the destroyed whiskey hasn’t reached the right maturation. In addition to that, the company operates 126 warehouses in Kentucky. These hold about 3.3 million barrels of bourbon.
The Times reported Woodford County emergency management director Drew Chandler said the flaming warehouse was “about the best-smelling fire I’ve ever been at.” The area reportedly still smells of bourbon as of this writing
While no injuries were reported from the fire, runoff has flowed to a nearby creek leading to the Kentucky River. This is expected to result in a severe fish kill. The amount present in the water is unknown according to the Post.