Bourbon maker Jim Beam is halting production at one of its distilleries in Kentucky for at least a year as the whisk
ey industry navigates tariffs from the Trump administration and slump
ing demand for a product that needs years of aging before it is ready.
Jim Beam said the decision to pause bourbon making at its
Clermont location in 2026 will give the company time to invest in improvements at the distillery. The bottling and wareh
ouse at the site will remain open, along with the James B. Beam Distilling Co. visitors center and restaurant.
The company’s larger distillery in Boston, Kentucky, will continue to operate, the company said.
“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand,” the company said in a statement.
Employees at the distillery are being reassigned within the company and right now Jim Beam plans no layoffs
, according to the local United Food and Commercial Workers International Union chapter that represents the workers.
Bourbon makers have to gamble well into the future. Jim Beam’s
flagship bourbon requires at least four years of aging in barrels before being bottled.
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Whiskey makers are dealing with back-and-forth arguments over
ariffs in Europe and in Canada, where a boycott started after the Trump administration suggested annexing the country into the U.S.
Overall exports of American spirits fell 9% in the second quarter o
f 2025 compared to a year ago, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The most dramatic decrease
came in U.S. spirits exports to Canada, which fell 85% in the April-through-June quarter
Bourbon production has grown significantly in recent years. As of January, there were about 16 million barrels of
bourbon aging in Kentucky warehouses — more than triple the amount he
ld 15 years ago, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
But sales figures and polling show Americans are drinking less than they have in decades.
About 95% of all bourbon made in the U.S. comes from Kentucky. The trade group estimated the industry brings m
ore than 23,000 jobs and $2.2 billion to the state.
Photo: The Jim Beam visitors center at its central distillery in Clermont in 2012. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner, File)