Jim Beam Taps Kenan Thompson to Launch Lemonade Kit for Fans Who Had a Tough Football Season

(Photo: Jim Beam)

Jim Beam is bringing back a postseason promotion aimed at football fans whose teams did not make a championship run.

On Thursday, the bourbon brand announced that it has teamed up again with comedian and actor Kenan Thompson to launch the Jim Beam & Lemonade Kit, a limited-edition package tied to the 2026 “Refresh Your Season” campaign. The effort encourages fans to reset after a loss with a simple serve: Jim Beam and lemonade.

The campaign builds on Jim Beam’s earlier “Seven Stages of Defeat” initiative from 2025 and appeared this season during Netflix’s NFL Christmas Day games. Thompson, a longtime football fan, appears as the face of the promotion.

“As a football fan, I know firsthand what it’s like when your team’s season doesn’t pan out how you hoped it would,” Thompson said in a news release. “That’s why I teamed up with Jim Beam to help fans find the silver lining and make the most out of the rest of the season, no matter how it turns out.”

Fans 21 and older can request the Jim Beam & Lemonade Kit on a first-come, first-served basis through scheduled online drops at 1 p.m. ET on Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. The drops run in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. Details and entry information are available at JimBeam.com/RefreshYourSeason.

The kit includes a SMEG x Jim Beam juicer, lemons, two cans of Owen’s Lemonade and two branded handled mason jars.

Jim Beam says the campaign is designed to reframe how fans experience the postseason, even when their teams are no longer in contention.

“At Jim Beam, we believe the best moments happen when people come together,” said Regan Clarke, vice president of American Whiskey at Suntory Global Spirits. “Even when the game doesn’t go your way, sharing the experience with fellow fans can change everything. With the Jim Beam & Lemonade Kit, we hope our Beam family and football fans everywhere take this opportunity to embrace the moment and remember that good times and people are always worth raising a glass to.”

To mark the launch, Jim Beam and Thompson hosted an invitation-only event in New York City on Wednesday that featured a drone display over the Hudson River. The display promoted the campaign’s message of resetting expectations and enjoying the remainder of the football postseason.

The brand is also releasing a limited-edition football jersey in partnership with Dazed, a British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. Beginning Jan. 23, fans can sign up for a chance to win the kit here.

The campaign continues Jim Beam’s long-running involvement in sports marketing, which includes partnerships across football, baseball, soccer and motorsports. For this promotion, the focus remains on postseason viewing culture rather than team-specific sponsorships.