Marketplace All-in-One Jim Beam freezes production at its main Kentucky distillery
Dec 22, 2025
Surinjana Tiwari, a BBC correspondent specializing in global trade, discusses Jim Beam's production halt due to retaliatory tariffs and changing consumer habits. She highlights how these pressures are shaping the whiskey market. John Reid, Senior Market Strategist at the World Gold Council, speaks on the factors propelling gold prices to record highs in 2025, linking them to US policy and geopolitical tensions. Both guests provide insights into how these economic trends are influencing consumer behavior and investment strategies.
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Jim Beam Pauses Kentucky Production
- Jim Beam will halt production at its main Kentucky plant for all of next year due to tariffs and weak demand.
- Surinjana Tiwari says excess inventories and uncertainty have left the distillery with huge volumes of ageing barrels.
Tariffs and Uncertainty Hit Distillers
- Retaliatory tariffs and trade uncertainty have disrupted planning for spirit makers worldwide.
- Tiwari highlights that those tariffs, plus falling consumer spending, reduced demand for alcohol.
Aging Stocks Create Extra Costs
- Kentucky charges higher taxes for older ageing barrels, adding cost pressure to surplus stock.
- Tiwari notes younger consumers are drinking less, compounding demand declines.