Popular Kentucky Bourbon Maker Jim Beam to Pause Production at Main Distillery

The decision comes as the Bluegrass State sits on an all-time high number of aging barrels of bourbon.Bourbon whisky Jim Beam (2nd L) and others are displayed at Suntory’s office in Tokyo on Jan. 14, 2014. Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images12/22/2025|Updated: 12/22/2025Kentucky bourbon maker Jim Beam says it plans to stop production at its main distillery on Jan. 1, as the state faces growing inventories.Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariff agenda, Kentucky has faced a swelling supply of aging barrels amid trade uncertainty.Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of “The War on Cash.”Author’s Selected Articles