Jim Beam Shuts Down For 2026

Suntory-owned Jim Beam has announced that they will be pausing production operations at their main James B. Beam distillery site in Clermont, Kentucky, beginning on January 1, 2026 and continuing throughout the calendar year of 2026.

Jim Beam was purchased by Japanese conglomerate Suntory in 2014 and the Clermont facility also produces Basil Hayden and Knob Creek bourbons. Suntory also owns Maker’s Mark but that brand will be unaffected by the shutdown.

The only production operations remaining open in 2026 at the main Clermont facility will be the Freddie Booker Noe craft distillery and the visitors center. Bottling and warehousing will also remain in operation at Clermont in 2026.

The move comes as the spirits industry – and whisk[e]y industry in particular – has been in a downward trend, and in Jim Beam’s case, accentuated by recent boycotts of American-produced spirits in retaliation for the tariff policies employed by country’s current political administration.

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