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.
Cue the “I didn’t vote for this” gomers…
“But I’d vote for him again”
Well they’ll gladly vote for whoever has the “R” next to their name, no matter what. That is if there ever are elections again.
Only a year? Let’s make it permanent Canada. Elbows up.
Not just Canada. I haven’t bought bourbon since last year here in the U.S… which was my go-to drink of choice.
No mention of the annexation threats and “51st state” rhetoric coming from the Trump administration, which I suspect is a bigger driver of the boycott than economic disputes.
They never mention the real reason. They talk about tariffs but never that he literally threatened to annex us economically multiple times.
"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.”
They’re going to keep making the craft bourbon, and I suspect they could coast for a decade on the barrels they have in rack houses. Bourbon doesn’t really go bad.
No, but you can over-age it. Too long in oak changes the flavours and at some point it won’t take like your product. You can bottle it as a special edition, but whether consumers like the product or not is a toss up.
I for one will never buy American again. I hope relations can improve to the point where my children can begin to normalize what was one of the best international relationships in history.
It takes 4-8 years to age it.
But it’s not that big of a deal, they’ve had fires and lost millions of gallons multiple times.
This is at least planned, and you’re probably right that they’ll prioritize the higher priced items.
They’ll also modernize the equipment so they need fewer workers. Who probably also voted red
The funniest thing is that ‘all American’ Jim Beam is owned by Suntory, a Japanese company.
Japan has a greater appreciation for American things like jazz and bourbon than Americans do
Even 7Eleven and Firestone are Japanese companies. Americans can’t run shit.
Way back in 1981, Ronald Reagan looked upon post-Vietnam America and saw too options. One was to tax the rich heavily, institute massive government controls on energy production, and push a renewal of America’s aging heavy industries. The other was to cut taxes for the upper classes and encourage wild speculation.
You say that like Reagan had some grand economic plan. He was an idiotic actor very similar to Trump. It’s true that tons of terrible policies can be traced back to his presidency but he wasn’t the mastermind of much of it in the same way that Trump doesn’t have a coherent plan now. They are both good examples of dumb, self serving outsiders being given too much power and listening to the wrong people.
I occasionally travel with two people for work that love bourbon, but hate Jim Bean and call it garbage. Knowing now that it is owned by a Japanese company combined with their current understanding of blaming Biden for the current economy, really puts it together as to why they hate Jim Bean.
These are also the same people that ask me how it’s like living two hours from the war torn and destroyed area known as Portland.
Jim beam was in the “cheap rotgut” category for ages. They only fairly recently started trying to make decent stuff again, regardless of ownership.
As to your colleagues… people can dislike mediocre whiskey and still be assholes.
Eh, Jim Beam is generally considered cheaper, kinda bottom-shelf stuff these days. Fine for a bourbon and coke, but not really intended to be sipped neat. I wouldn’t really be surprised by a bourbon-lover turning their nose up at it, regardless of who owns the brand.
They have some very premium brands as well, that definitely deserve praise: hardin’s creek, little book especially.
Anything labeled Jim beam is swill to meh (except Lineage, but you’ll never see that on a shelf). The old grandad (bonded or 114) line is bang/buck.
It could just be they don’t like drinking shitty bourbon. Jim Beam is… not great.
Jim Beam is 80 proof, while a lot of more expensive bourbon is more like 90 proof. Personally I prefer the lesser kick, and I live in the US, but do you think I’m going to be able to stock up on cheap Jim Beam? Hah, don’t bet on it.
These are also the same people that ask me how it’s like living two hours from the war torn and destroyed area known as Portland.
Propaganda is a helluva drug, that’s for sure.
Tell them it’s horrible and they should stay in Florida.
“Make it… Suntori time…”
Back in the 1970s Suntory Whiskey had a huge sign over Times Square in New York. The sign is visible in movies like Shaft. You couldn’t find Suntory in any American bar, but the company knew that Times Square was iconic and their sign would be seen all over the world.
Canada and the U.S. have since agreed to launch formal discussions to review their trade agreement
I don’t think that’s gonna make a difference anymore. Reverting the 2025 decisions will not revert things. The sentiment has changed among the common people.
It’s abuser logic. “If I stop hitting you, we’re cool. There’s no problem, anymore. That is until I decide to hit you again.”
That doesn’t work on everyone and eventually someone will hit back harder or gang up and take them down. Unfortunately, people let them get away with it for too long.
Yeah, but try explaining to an abusive narcissist that… they have to actually show a real dedication to changing themselves, and making things right.
You basically can’t, because the idea that they could be flawed or mistaken in a fundamental way… well, that’s basically incomprehensible to them, beyond being some kind of insult toward them.
Trying that shit on Canada of all people was the dumbest shit imaginable.
Ah, you’ve met the average MAGAt I see.
Yup. It’s something that won’t be fixed for decades. Trump has seriously damaged the ability for the US to do international trade.
… also the price of things.
Corporations especially grocers just got a big chance to raise prices … even if the tariffs go away, none of them will bring the prices down again. They’ll just pocket the difference and let everyone pay the new high prices which will stay in place.
So far Canadians have been smart enough to hold the line. Don’t bend and don’t believe the liars in charge of the US. This administration would gladly invade anyone and subjugate them.
Never 51. Elbows Up, Canada. It’s time to line brawl on the ice.
Canada has got this. They have shifted to trade with more stable countries and had ramped up local distilleries. They are not being mean but rather strategic.
Canadian products are generally superior quality anyways
Anecdotal report from my area, but a retail worker I spoke with who works 2 jobs at a dollar gen and Walmart said this is the slowest holiday year they’ve seen since the pandemic.
A couple years ago I worked the holiday season at a JC Penney, and worked Black Friday.
It was damn near dead. Like maybe no more than 15 people shopping at the busiest time of the night. It was bullshit. And this was like 2018.
Just what they voted for!
Woot! A year* long vacation! /s
* Assuming things don’t get even worse (which is a generous assumption)
I’m of the opinion that neither whiskey nor bourbon are worth it even tariffs or country of origin. Became real trendy for a long time now. Overpriced. Drink rum
Jim Bean is garbage whisky
Hopefully some of those idiots that elected mitch over and over again will start to see how bad trump is but i doubt it
Canada sends it’s regards
Yeah, the regards really seem to love it in the US.
You voted for this!
Bon Appetit leopards 🐆
Canadians, why were you drinking so much Jim Beam? Didn’t you have a minimum quality level you’d accept? There were better Canadian options available in the US, why would you settle for that swill?
There’s Canadian bourbon options?!
Like, the liquor with that flavour profile. I know nobody else is “allowed” to call it bourbon.
https://whiskycompass.ca/bourbon-lovers-in-canada-face-a-dilemma-but-theres-hope-in-canadian-whisky/
Doesn’t matter if it’s called bourbon specifically or not honestly, as long as its made similarly.
I’ve tried several of these and have to wonder how the author came up with these suggestions, because they’re very different than their American “counterparts” on this list. With that said, I’ve been doing my part and haven’t bought a single bottle of anything from the US since this started. i do miss bourbon - it’s my favourite liquor - but I’ve gotten to try a bunch of nice ryes and other whiskys, irish ones in particular.
Edit: that article actually looks like ChatGPT content, which explains why it’s so bad and inaccurate.
As a Buffalo Trace fan I now want to try Forty Creek Cooper Pot.
Awesome, thank you! I thought I was just SOL.
As a Canadian, I’ve been disappointed in our alcohol choices since Budweisser broke into the market in the late 1970’s. Today, Coors Light, Bud Light, and Busch are the most common.
As for liquor, bourbon became big in the 2000’s, but it doesn’t dominate.
