“I like that name,” the young woman said after looking at my sign-in form for a lube job and tire rotation. She was talking about the “Jim Beam” part, of course, because that often resonates with people who see it.

Having the same name as one of the country’s famous bourbon whiskeys has its advantages, and it helped me enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience in 1995. That is when anyone named Jim Beam had an opportunity to join in the company’s 200th birthday celebration at Clermont, Ky.

Two columns I wrote about that experience — before and afterwards — got more reader reaction than anything I have ever written.

The Jim Beams had to be at the Beam distillery by 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 13, to share in a $100,000 “inheritance.” One Jim Beam cut it close, not signing in until 10:56 a.m.

Frederick Booker Noe Jr., master distiller emeritus, gave the 121 Beams who showed up a hearty welcome after we registered. When his voice faltered, someone walked up with a shot of Jim Beam. After a quick swig, he got back in the groove.

Jacob Beam actually got the Jim Beam Company started in 1795, and the amber-colored whiskey got its name from Bourbon County, Ky. However, it was during the 67 years that James Beauregard Beam, Jacob’s grandson, ran the operation that Jim Beam Bourbon became known around the world.

Jim Beam had two children — Margaret Beam Noe and T. Jeremiah Beam. Noe, Margaret’s son, represents the sixth generation of Beams to carry on the family tradition.

Known as Booker, Noe is the one who issued the invitations to the 200th birthday bash. He put up the $100,000 inheritance and all the Jim Beams that showed up for the Oct. 13, 1995, celebration got to split the pot.

The big prize was Noe’s way of celebrating “with the people who, through their names, help to keep my grandfather’s spirit of adventure and tradition alive.”

In order to qualify for my share of the inheritance, I had to send in a notarized copy of my birth certificate and a recent photograph. Once declared eligible, I had to sign and submit an affidavit of eligibility.

I never got around to asking my parents why they named me James, but my great-grandfather on my mother’s side was named James Monroe Welch. The odds are that James was just a popular name at the time.

Although I spent most of my share of the inheritance — $826.45 — getting to Clermont and back, the prize was a great conversation piece after Noe put up the money in January of that year.

Getting acquainted with the other Jim Beams was easy. All we had to do was walk up to someone in a red or blue Jim Beam baseball cap and ask him where he was from. When I mentioned Lake Charles, most of them said, “Isn’t that where they have a lot of storms?”

Jim Beams from Alabama and Ohio said they were truckers and had been through Lake Charles. They said Louisiana was one of the toughest states to drive through because it was strict about regulations of the road.

The Jim Beam from Prescott Valley, Ariz., had moved out west from New Orleans where he served as a divisional vice president of the D.H. Holmes department store. When I met the Baton Rouge Jim Beam, he pulled out a family tree and gave me a quick rundown. The only other Louisiana Jim Beam was from Haughton, which is near Shreveport.

Texas had the most Jim Beams at the festivities (15). Then came North Carolina and Kentucky, 11 each; California, Ohio and Pennsylvania, 9 each; Florida, 8, Indiana and Tennessee, 6 each. A Jim Beam from Switzerland had the distinction of being the only registrant from outside the United States.

“Have you picked up your Jim Beam money, yet?” many well wishers asked before Jo Ann and I made the trip.

Afterwards, the most asked question was, “Did they give you any Jim Beam to bring back home?”

No, they didn’t, but they served Jim Beam while we were there. I did get a surprise package from Booker Noe after being named to the 2017 Louisiana Political Hall of Fame.

“I wanted to personally reach out and congratulate you on your recent induction into the Louisiana Hall of Fame,” Noe said. “It’s a great recognition for all of the hard work you’ve put in during your distinguished career and I couldn’t be happier for you.

“Enclosed you will find a few of my favorite bourbons to sip on as a token of our appreciation for the work you’ve done in Louisiana, and for getting the Jim Beam name into another hall of fame!

“When you have a minute, sit back, relax and have a sip of our delicious bourbon, like my greatgrandfather Jim would do.”

JIM BEAM 200TH — Everyone named Jim Beam helped Jim Beam whiskey celebrate its 200th birthday in 1995.

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