Chuck DarwinJim Beam,
the country’s largest maker of bourbon,
has announced a one-year pause in production at its flagship facility in Clermont, Ky.,
a stunning move that underlines the immense challenges facing the American whiskey industry after more than two decades of rapid growth.
The decision by the brand, owned by the Japanese conglomerate 🔸Suntory Holdings,
is the latest in a series of production cuts, layoffs and financial crises across the wine, beer and spirits sector,
which has seen sales drop by about 5 percent over the past year.
The situation will likely get worse as 2025 draws to a close:
At the end of October
🔸 MGP Ingredients, which distills whiskey on contract for other brands,
reported a 19 percent drop in sales for the third quarter.
In September, the global drinks company 🔸Diageo paused distillation at its Cascade Hollow facility in Tullahoma, Tenn., which produces #George #Dickel #Tennessee #whiskey.
In January, 🔸Brown-Forman, the maker of whiskeys like #Jack #Daniel’s and #Old #Forester, announced it was laying off about 650 employees, or 12 percent of its work force, in the face of declining demand.
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