US EditionJim Beam pauses production at main distillery as bourbon inventories rise
Jim Beam pauses main distillery in Clermont for 2026 due to record 16.1 million bourbon barrel surplus and trade-related costs, while continuing operations at other Kentucky sites.
- On January 1, 2026, Jim Beam will pause distillation at its main Clermont campus for all of 2026, the company said.
- Jim Beam said it is adjusting production to meet future demand and recently met with its team to discuss production volumes for 2026, Suntory Global Spirits said the pause will allow upgrades and site enhancements.
- Bottling and visitor operations will continue at Clermont even as distilling pauses, with bottling and warehousing operations, the James B. Beam visitor center, and The Kitchen Table restaurant remaining open.
- As of Saturday, no WARN notice was posted and management is in talks with the United Food and Commercial Workers; no layoffs have been announced while assessing nearly 1,500 employees from last year.
- Industry experts link the pause to a record 16.1 million barrels aging in Kentucky, with the Distilled Spirits Council reporting exports below $10 million in the second quarter of 2025 and changing drinking habits.
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Jim Beam halts production at key US distillery amid bourbon glut
Bourbon maker Jim Beam plans to pause production at its main US distillery for all of 2026 after slumping demand caused an oversupply of whiskey. The brand, owned by Japanese alcohol giant Suntory Holdings Ltd., said it’s halting whiskey distillation at the James B. Beam campus in Clermont, Kentucky after an assessment of its production levels against consumer demand, according to a statement on Monday. The company plans to use the downtime to…
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Jim Beam Reels in Its Kentucky Bourbon Production
Jim Beam is about to give its flagship Kentucky distillery a yearlong timeout. Owner Suntory Global Spirits says it will suspend bourbon production at its James B. Beam facility in Clermont for all of 2026, calling the pause a chance to make "site enhancements" and recalibrate output. "We are always...
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