Jim Beam Bourbon Sued Over 'Handcrafted' Claims

Kentucky bourbon company Jim Beam has been hit with a $5 million lawsuit over the whiskey maker's claim that the product is "handcrafted," reports the Lexington Herald Leader.

Similar lawsuits have been filed against Maker's Mark, Tito's Handmade Vodka, and Templeton Rye, to name a few. The law firm representing the suit against Maker's Mark is also responsible for the new case against Jim Beam, the Herald Leader points out.

In the Jim Beam case, which targets its White Label whiskey, plaintiff Scott Welk alleges that the bourbon is not handmade by "skilled craftsmen," as the company claims.  

The lawsuit states:

"Such conduct by defendants is 'unfair' because it offends established public policy and/or is immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous and/or substantially injurious to consumers in that consumers are led to believe that Jim Beam bourbon is of superior quality and workmanship by virtue of it being 'handcrafted,' when in fact it is not."

In response, brand owner Beam Suntory, Inc., a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, called the claim "frivolous."