Jim Beam shutting down bourbon production at Kentucky distillery amid Trump’s tariffs
www.independent.co.uk
Trade war with Canada has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales

Trade war with Canada has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales

Jim Beam, one of the largest makers of American whiskey globally, is shutting down bourbon production at one of its Kentucky distilleries for a year.

The move comes amid Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, which has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales after the country ushered in a boycott of American booze, and as more young adults are cutting back on drinking.

Jim Beam, owned by Suntory Global Spirits, is one of Kentucky’s biggest bourbon producers.

The Bluegrass state’s $9 billion whiskey bourbon industry has been struggling to manage its abundant supply of liquor against the drop in demand.

  • booly@sh.itjust.works
    3·
    19 hours ago

    With any luck they will sell and rebrand, beam is a dead brand.

    Cmon. Suntory Beam owns a shitload of brands of American Whiskey:

    • Baker’s
    • Basil Hayden’s
    • Beam’s Eight Star
    • Booker’s
    • Jim Beam
    • Kessler
    • Knob Creek
    • Legent
    • Little Book
    • Maker’s Mark
    • Old Crow
    • Old Grand-Dad
    • Old Overholt

    And them shutting down one of their four distilleries is not going to affect the quality. It’s a highly industrialized operation, and they’re already good at making the process invisible to the consumer, which bottle comes from which still.

    • Daftydux@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      1·
      18 hours ago

      Continous processes like a still of that size dont do well on long shutdowns. They could have good procedures in place but last time I visited its just a bunch of country boys doing what they know best.

      I didnt know makers or knob creek was their label and youre right they are good. Except dont make me laugh with throwing in old crow. I mean if you want some bourbon flavor vodka, sure.

      On most the stuff your probably right. I dont drink much bourbon anyway but shutdowns are always a nightmare.

      • booly@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        17 hours ago

        I’m just saying that these huge conglomerates aren’t going to let something like a reduced production change the end product. They’re a holding company for a bunch of different brands, including Canadian, Irish, Scottish, and Japanese brands, and they will run whatever stills they need at whatever percent of capacity they need to meet their projected demand. Their other three American distilleries will still be churning out product, and if they do resume production you wouldn’t be able to know which bottle comes from which distillery.