Iconic Distillery Is the Latest Casualty in Trump Trade War

Jim Beam is halting whiskey production at its historic Clermont, Kentucky, facility for most of 2026 in a major pullback that shows just how badly the bourbon business has soured. The distillery, which opened in 1935, will keep bottling what it has already made and let existing barrels age, but it won’t be producing any new bourbon, marking a complete reversal for an industry that bet big on continued growth. Export sales have tanked as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, with Canadian purchases falling by as much as 85 percent during recent trade fights.