The Deuce: Jim Beam hurting. Pausing operations for 2026 at its biggest plant.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/dining/jim-beam-production-pause-whiskey-bourbon.html?utm_social_post_id=630770047&smtyp=cur&smid=bsky-nytimes&utm_social_handle_id=did%3Aplc%3Aeclio37ymobqex2ncko63h4r

In a statement, Jim Beam said that the pause would begin on Jan. 1 and last the entire year. The facility produces about a third of the company’s annual output of approximately 26.5 million gallons.

It also said it would continue production at its two other distilleries in Kentucky and would keep its bottling facility and visitor center open at the Clermont site. It did not say whether the workers at the distillery would be furloughed or moved to other facilities.

Both the Clermont distillery and another, larger facility, located in nearby Boston, Ky., produce most of Jim Beam’s subsidiary brands, including Knob Creek, Booker’s and Basil Hayden. The third, much smaller distillery, also located in Clermont, is for experimental and limited-edition brands.

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It was likely, industry experts say, that a correction was in order as retailers and consumers, flush with inventory, slowed down their purchases and the market returned to normal after the pandemic buying spree.

Analysts also cite recent economic challenges related to President Trump’s tariffs. A backlash from Canadian consumers and provinces, which control alcohol sales, has virtually stopped the sale of American whiskey in what was once among the industry’s biggest export markets.

Overall, exports of American whiskey are down about 9 percent from 2024, according to the Distilled Spirits Council.

At the same time, the president’s unpredictable approach to tariff policy has made it difficult to expand into new markets, especially South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, three regions that major American whiskey distillers had once hoped to turn into reliable destinations for millions of bottles a year.