Trade war with Canada has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales

Jim Beam, one of the largest makers of American whiskey globally, is shutting down bourbon production at one of its Kentucky distilleries for a year.

The move comes amid Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, which has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales after the country ushered in a boycott of American booze, and as more young adults are cutting back on drinking.

Jim Beam, owned by Suntory Global Spirits, is one of Kentucky’s biggest bourbon producers.

The Bluegrass state’s $9 billion whiskey bourbon industry has been struggling to manage its abundant supply of liquor against the drop in demand.

  • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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    16 hours ago

    The funniest thing is that ‘all American’ Jim Beam is owned by Suntory, a Japanese company.

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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        15 hours ago

        Way back in 1981, Ronald Reagan looked upon post-Vietnam America and saw too options. One was to tax the rich heavily, institute massive government controls on energy production, and push a renewal of America’s aging heavy industries. The other was to cut taxes for the upper classes and encourage wild speculation.

        • krashmo@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          You say that like Reagan had some grand economic plan. He was an idiotic actor very similar to Trump. It’s true that tons of terrible policies can be traced back to his presidency but he wasn’t the mastermind of much of it in the same way that Trump doesn’t have a coherent plan now. They are both good examples of dumb, self serving outsiders being given too much power and listening to the wrong people.

          • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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            2 hours ago

            Reagan didn’t have a policy, but his team sure did.

            A lot of people got really rich in the 1980s and it wasn’t by chance.

            Don’t mistake the fact that bad things happened for incompetence.

            The destruction of the middle class wasn’t a bug, it was a feature.

    • 13igTyme@piefed.social
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      15 hours ago

      I occasionally travel with two people for work that love bourbon, but hate Jim Bean and call it garbage. Knowing now that it is owned by a Japanese company combined with their current understanding of blaming Biden for the current economy, really puts it together as to why they hate Jim Bean.

      These are also the same people that ask me how it’s like living two hours from the war torn and destroyed area known as Portland.

      • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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        15 hours ago

        Eh, Jim Beam is generally considered cheaper, kinda bottom-shelf stuff these days. Fine for a bourbon and coke, but not really intended to be sipped neat. I wouldn’t really be surprised by a bourbon-lover turning their nose up at it, regardless of who owns the brand.

        • Botzo@lemmy.world
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          14 hours ago

          They have some very premium brands as well, that definitely deserve praise: hardin’s creek, little book especially.

          Anything labeled Jim beam is swill to meh (except Lineage, but you’ll never see that on a shelf). The old grandad (bonded or 114) line is bang/buck.

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        14 hours ago

        Jim beam was in the “cheap rotgut” category for ages. They only fairly recently started trying to make decent stuff again, regardless of ownership.

        As to your colleagues… people can dislike mediocre whiskey and still be assholes.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        These are also the same people that ask me how it’s like living two hours from the war torn and destroyed area known as Portland.

        Propaganda is a helluva drug, that’s for sure.

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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        12 hours ago

        Jim Beam is 80 proof, while a lot of more expensive bourbon is more like 90 proof. Personally I prefer the lesser kick, and I live in the US, but do you think I’m going to be able to stock up on cheap Jim Beam? Hah, don’t bet on it.

      • DagwoodIII@piefed.social
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        13 hours ago

        Back in the 1970s Suntory Whiskey had a huge sign over Times Square in New York. The sign is visible in movies like Shaft. You couldn’t find Suntory in any American bar, but the company knew that Times Square was iconic and their sign would be seen all over the world.