Jim Beam says its partnership with the Cadillac Formula 1 team has already led to a rise in sales.
The Kentucky bourbon brand, owned by Suntory Global Spirits, is a founding partner of Cadillac F1, which joined the grid as the championship's 11th team in 2026.
Speaking on a panel at the Autosport Business Exchange in New York on Wednesday, KK Hall, global brand vice president of Jim Beam, was asked by Morning Brew senior reporter Alyssa Meyers what the company had learned about F1 so far.
Autosport Business Exchange returned to New York City for its second edition, bringing together senior leaders from across motorsport, business and brands at the Manhattan Motorcars showroom to examine racing's growth in AmericaChristian Horner made his first U.S. appearance at the event since leaving Oracle Red Bull RacingOther panellists included seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former chairman and CEO of Formula 1 Chase Carey, General Motors' Mark Reuss, Penske's Jonathan Gibson and NASCAR's Tim Clark"Oh, for me, it goes well beyond the track as a sponsor," she said. "And it was always our intention to not show up simply... I don't want to say simply, because the livery outside is beautiful and there have been some stunning liveries to date and we're really proud of that. Nor is it just about making sure our customers and our executives can have a place at a club. That's all well and good.
KK Hall
Photo by: Bryan Bedder / Getty Images
"But for us, it's been about extending the IP and the storyline. And we have a beautiful story. Hopefully, we have a chance to tell it between ourselves and Cadillac to, like I said, the less-than-1% of people who don't get that experience.
"And doing that through everything from mass television broadcasting to experiential in bars and restaurants across the world, showing up with big roadhouses on race weekends.
"In fact, this weekend, Cadillac is going to do the ranch house. We usually do the roadhouse, but we're doing it together to bring people in who don't have tickets to the race. So we've learned to show up outside the track and do the programming.
"In our case, restaurants, bars, retail, we have seen an uplift in sales and in brand health equity that we track in markets where we've invested, and it's undeniable that it works."
Cadillac races in Austin this weekend, with the United States Grand Prix running from 23-25 October at the Circuit of the Americas.