00:00Well, so much for a shot and a beer.
00:05One of America's most iconic bourbon brands is pumping the brakes,
00:08and it's a sign of bigger economic pressures building beneath the surface.
00:13Jim Beam says it will pause production at its flagship Kentucky distillery starting January 1st
00:19as the bourbon industry faces a record supply glut and growing uncertainty tied to President Trump's trade wars.
00:26Kentucky now has, get this, more than 16 million barrels of aging bourbon, the highest level ever,
00:34and distillers are paying steep taxes just to store it.
00:37At the same time, exports have been hit by retaliatory tariffs,
00:41including ongoing restrictions in Canada and the threat of higher duties in Europe.
00:46Jim Beam says this is a temporary slowdown, not a shutdown.
00:49Distilling will continue at two other Kentucky facilities.
00:52Bottling and warehousing remain active, and the company says it has not announced layoffs.
