A couple of things...
If you're a bourbon fan, the loss of a Jim Beam warehouse is a monumental tragedy. Jim Beam makes many different bourbons including: Old Grand Dad, Baker's, Bookers, Basil Haydens, and Knob Creek. I haven't seen any of the news stories mention which labels were affected. So, depending on your preferences, that warehouse fire could be really bad.
As to Jim Beam being "cheap," I will only say this, much more often than not, bourbon prices reflect availability not quality. That is not an opinion. That is a fact. Sadly, bourbon is the "it" drink of the week and loads of new labels are popping up. Being a native Southerner, I was given bourbon from the time a could hold a cup, so, all the hoopla doesn't really get me too excited, but, if you're new, my one suggestion would be to start with the oldest labels you can find, such as Jim Beam, and go from there. As with pipe smoking, try different varieties until you find what you like. Then, stock up and enjoy. :-D
Lastly, Workman, Jack Daniels and, my preferred George Dickel, are "Tennessee Whiskey" not bourbon. The sole difference between the two being Tennessee whiskey is filtered through charcoal and bourbon is not.
Cheers,
Chili