'Hey Jim, pour me a drink' - Smart Jim Beam decanter pours whiskey on command

Alexa's ability to read the weather forecast and turn a light on is all well and good — but she can't pour you a whiskey, can she? That's where Jim comes in, a 'smart' decanter by Jim Beam.

The device — which, surprisingly, is not an early April Fools' joke — has voice recognition and will pour whiskey on command.

The decanter is voiced by Fred Noe, seventh-generation master distiller, and can hold up to a liter of whiskey at once. It also appears to have a 3G internet connection inside enabling it to work. But the Jim Beam website says the connection will cease to function six months after purchase.

We imagine the folks at Jim Beam don't want to keep paying for the decanter's data connection once the novelty — and the first liter of whiskey — has dried up.

A YouTube video advertising the smart decanter, above, claims it has a degree of intelligence, although it isn't clear if owners can really have an Alexa-style conversation with it. The video shows the decanter being asked: 'What's the best way to drink whiskey?,' to which it replies in a canned manner: 'Any damn way you please.'

Jim Beam says: "He can't order you a cab to Cupertino, but at Jim Beam we believe he's the most important decanter ever created, for one simple reason."

The decanter is then showing pouring whiskey on command when told 'Hey Jim, pour me a drink.' The ad also states: 'Yes, Jim actually pours bourbon on command.'

'Jim' is available to buy from the Jim Beam online store now and is priced at $34.90. The company claims pre-orders will arrive by December 15. However, orders are limited to one device per customer and the website currently lists the product as sold out. The device will be sold in "very limited quantities," the company says.