US EditionJim Beam pauses production at main distillery as bourbon inventories rise
Jim Beam will halt bourbon production at its main Kentucky distillery for 2026 due to high bourbon inventories and trade tensions, while maintaining other distilling and bottling operations.
- 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.
155 Articles
155 Articles
Jim Beam is pausing production at its iconic Kentucky bourbon distillery
Jim Beam will pause bourbon production at its Clermont, Kentucky, distillery for one year.Noam Galai/Getty Images for NYCWFFJim Beam will pause bourbon production at its Clermont, Kentucky, distillery for one year.The distilled spirits industry is facing declines in exports to major markets, including Canada and the EU.Domestic alcohol consumption is also dropping, adding pressure to American spirits brands.It's been a tough time for distilled s…
Jim Beam to pause production at Clermont distillery in January
CLERMONT, Ky. – Jim Beam announced it will pause production at its main distillery in Clermont starting January 1. This decision is partly due to supply issues, as Kentucky has more than 16 million aging barrels of bourbon in warehouses.
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,…
Bourbon maker Jim Beam halts Kentucky production amid ongoing trade tensions
The maker of one of the U.S.'s most iconic bourbon whiskies is halting production at its main distillery in Kentucky for all of 2026 amid the ongoing challenges and strain faced by the U.S. liquor industry — part of the fallout from Trump's trade war.
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 ...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 68% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
