In Reply to: I still think Hiqm Beam distillery closure is a gambit to extract posted by azbruin on December 27, 2025 at 16:39:24
The bourbon industry has a host of well known problems and challenges which are very real.
The root cause is lower domestic alcohol consumption overall, across major product lines (spirits, wines and beers) which has been exacerbated somewhat (but not caused) by Trump’s tariff stupidity. Major distributors have shut down in markets and laid off workers. The growing markets (premade spirit beverages like high noon, whiteclaw) are very small segments and their growth do not compensate for the overall shrinking market.
Bourbon is one of the few products which could offset some of the shrinking domestic market with exports, but Trump is a moron and a Jim Heam bailout wouldn’t solve the industry’s problems, or Beam’s problem with most of its brand portfolio.