Jim Beam will suspend production at the distillery in Kentucky starting January 1 to invest in improvements, while still keeping the campus open for visitors.

Jim Beam, the producer of the famous bourbon whiskey, has announced that it will temporarily suspend production at its main distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, starting January 1. The decision is part of a strategy to invest in improvements to the distillery. However, the company will continue production at the Fred B. Noe and Booker Noe distilleries in Kentucky. The suspension of production comes in a difficult context for the wine and spirits industry, where alcohol consumption among adults in the U.S. has dropped to 54%, a historic low in nearly 90 years. Additionally, exports of spirits produced in the U.S. fell by 9% in the second quarter, partly due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which particularly affected exports to Canada. By August, whiskey production had decreased by 28% compared to the previous year, reflecting the challenges facing the sector.