The iconic bowling pin decanter returns, blending nostalgia with classic Kentucky bourbon. Limited edition and highly collectible, it’s a piece of Jim Beam history you won’t want to miss.
Kentucky bourbon distillery Jim Beam is bringing back one of its most beloved collectible bottles, and this time, the bottle itself is stealing the spotlight. The distillery has announced a limited one-time reproduction of its legendary Pin Bottle decanter, a design cherished by fans for decades.
While today’s bourbon drinkers often focus on Jim Beam’s craft portfolio and flavored whiskeys, the brand’s mid-20th-century reputation rested heavily on its wide array of ceramic and glass decanters. Between the 1940s and 1990s, Jim Beam released over 3,000 unique decanter designs, from bowling pins, cars, and pheasants to phones, car batteries, fire helmets, eagles, and even chainsaws. One 1960s decanter even made its way onto television, famously repurposed as the “lamp” in I Dream of Jeannie.
The revival centers on the bowling pin bottle, chosen by Jim Beam’s current leadership for its popularity among collectors and as a gift to friends and family of the distillery. Over the decades, the bowling pin decanter appeared in multiple versions: glass in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, followed by a white ceramic iteration in the 1970s and 80s.
In addition to the iconic shape, Fred and Freddie Noe, Jim Beam’s master distillers, have recreated the original liquid inside: 8-year-old bourbon stored in the distillery’s nine-story warehouses and bottled at 86.8 proof. Tasting notes highlight aromas of crisp oak, baked bread, and toffee, with flavors of toasted oak and subtle sweetness on the palate. While not the oldest bourbon in Jim Beam’s lineup — the 15-year-old Beam Lineage recently debuted for the domestic market — 8-year-old bourbon is considered a sweet spot, embodying both the brand’s classic profile and the hallmark richness of Kentucky bourbon.
The Noes have been busy innovating in recent years, overseeing releases like Booker’s The Reserves, Hardin’s Creek, the reimagined Old Grand-Dad 7 Year, and ultra-aged Knob Creek editions. Yet, the Pin Bottle demonstrates that the distillery still has treasures to rediscover from its own history.
These decanters are produced in limited quantities (exact numbers undisclosed) and will only be available onsite at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. At $100 each, they’re expected to sell quickly — especially considering that original decanters, even empty, often fetch higher prices on the secondary market, with sealed versions exceeding $500.
The new Jim Beam Pin Bottle Decanter hits shelves starting August 23, coinciding with Jim Beam Day. If you’re a collector or bourbon enthusiast, this one promises to be a rare, must-have piece of distilling history — perhaps even worth three wishes to acquire.
