US EditionJim Beam pauses production at main distillery as bourbon inventories rise
Jim Beam will pause distillation at its Clermont distillery in 2026 amid a record 16 million bourbon barrels aging in Kentucky and ongoing trade disputes impacting demand.
- 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.
121 Articles
121 Articles
Jim Beam to halt production at main distillery; Democrat blames Trump tariffs
Jim Beam, the Bourbon company, is stopping its main distillery’s production this year. “We plan to pause distillation at our main distillery on the James B. Beam campus for 2026 while we take the opportunity to invest in site enhancements,” the James B. Beam Distilling Co. said in a statement to The Hill on Thursday,…
Trump's trade war 'ticked off' US partners — and threatens to kill a staple good: analyst
President Donald Trump's trade wars have not only "ticked off" America's trading partners, but they are also threatening to kill a staple good that the U.S. has exported for more than a century, according to one analyst. On Friday, bourbon maker Jim Beam announced that it is closing a distillery in ...
Popular Kentucky Bourbon Maker Jim Beam to Pause Production at Main Distillery
Kentucky bourbon maker Jim Beam says it plans to stop production at its main distillery on Jan. 1, as the state faces growing inventories. Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff agenda, Kentucky has faced a swelling supply of aging barrels amid trade uncertainty. In October, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association confirmed that the Bluegrass State maintained a record high of 16.1 million aging barrels of bourbon in …
Is Jim Beam Shutting Down? Breaking Down The Bourbon Whiskey Brand's 2026 Production Halt
Jim Beam, the world’s largest producer of the popular Kentucky bourbon whiskey brand, will halt operations at its main distillery in the new year. Why is Jim Beam shutting down operations in 2026? On Monday, company officials for the James B. Beam Distilling Co. said that distillation at the flagship Clermont, Kentucky, location would officially pause starting in January and to “take the opportunity to invest in site enhancements,” according to …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 68% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
