Today's the day - Beam Inc. began trading as an independent spirits company on the New York Stock Exchange his morning. "This is an incredibly proud day for the 3,200 people of Beam worldwide," said chief Matt Shattock. "Our people are passionate about winning and are focused squarely on outperforming our markets and creating long-term value for our shareholders." It stands as the world's fourth largest premium spirits company and the largest US-based spirits company.