Posted on 12/20/2025 8:10:13 PM PST by yesthatjallen
One of Kentucky’s largest bourbon producers apparently is pausing whiskey production at the end of the year.
Jim Beam, which is one of the largest makers of American whiskey in the world, is planning to shut down production in Happy Hollow in Clermont on Jan. 1 through 2026. The visitors center on site will remain open for Kentucky Bourbon Trail visitors.
“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand and recently met with our team to discuss our volumes for 2026,” according to a statement from the company. “We’ve shared with our teams that while we will continue to distill at our (Freddie Booker Noe) craft distillery in Clermont and at our larger Booker Noe distillery in Boston, 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. Our visitor center at the James B. Beam campus remains open so visitors can have the full James B. Beam experience and join us for a meal at The Kitchen Table.”
Bottling and warehousing will still be operating at Clermont.
Kentucky bourbon industry troubles
The move comes as Kentucky’s $9 billion bourbon industry grapples with a glut of whiskey and a slump in demand at home.
In response, the industry has pulled back production by more than 55 million proof-gallons (an industry unit of measurement) or more than 28% through August, the lowest level since 2018.
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at kentucky.com ...
There’s a glut of bourbon? Well, sell it at a lower price...
Gen Z doesn’t drink. Their little tummies don’t like how bourbon burns. LOL
Yep. Bourbon prices are ridiculous. Brands are proliferating like craft beers. There will be a shakeout and that’s a good thing.
“Gen Z doesn’t drink”
They drink THC-laced sodas instead.
Gen Z doesn’t drink. Their little tummies don’t like how bourbon burns. LOL“
Well not bourbon or whiskey. A fine single malt Scotch? No way. They are too fragile.
Never been a bourbon guy. Scotch or vodka.... Still surprised at this. Jim Beam and Jack Daniels are huge sellers.
[Gen Z doesn’t drink. Their little tummies don’t like how bourbon burns. LOL]
Gen Z doesn’t drink. Their little tummies don’t like how bourbon burns. LOL
They are drinking but it’s fruity seltzer, fruit flavored hard ice tea, craft beers, light beer, etc. 20 oz cans are very popular among that demo.
A lot of packaged alcohol is flat out marketed to females now. Feminine packaging, lighter alcohol content like vodka, etc. They have never been big bourbon drinkers, obviously.
That explains a lot.
For New Years in New Orleans the neck of a fifth of Jim Beam would fit into your belt under your jacket so that you would have something to drink in-between bars, very elegant for a night of refined activities.
Got my Buffalo Trace for the holidays, surprised they hadn’t yet sold out.
I like a shot or two of whiskey every once in a while, but I’m always worried if my breath or clothes will hold onto that whiskey aroma. I usually keep vodka or spiced rum in the “Medicine Cabinet’. Gin tastes too much like Xmas trees more than anything else. Tequila is supposed to improve hearing, or so I have heard.
Too bad I quit drinking years ago, else I coulda helped solve their glut problems............
What is a “proof gallon” in terms of measurement?
the kids aren’t into brown booze; they prefer zima-style clear, flavored, fizzy, alcoholic beverages in cans ...
“Gin tastes too much like Xmas trees more than anything else.”
It’s the Juniper berries they use for flavor..............
one U.S. gallon of spirits that contains 50% alcohol by volume (ABV), which corresponds to 100 proof, measured at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yes! I have totally dropped "corporate" spirits in favor of locally produced whiskey.
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