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Jim Beam shutting down bourbon production at Kentucky distillery for a year as Trump’s trade wars hit sales
(www.independent.co.uk)
this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2025
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The funniest thing is that 'all American' Jim Beam is owned by Suntory, a Japanese company.
Even 7Eleven and Firestone are Japanese companies. Americans can’t run shit.
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.
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.
Reagan had senile dementia his entire time of office. He was submissive and did what his team told him to do.
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.
Even Harley Davidson is close to bankruptcy. Dealers are closing every month. Bad news for audiologists.
Fucking good. Those bikes sound like shit.
And they ride like shit and break. Their sales demographic is literally dying.
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.
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.
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.
It could just be they don't like drinking shitty bourbon. Jim Beam is... not great.
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.
The normal white label? That was always considered middle of the road for bourbon. The cheap stuff is the stuff that comes in plastic bottles. It's only recently that bourbon has had a renaissance where the top brands are highly sought after and there's a perception of luxury/exclusivity with some bourbons.
Jim beam white was never, ever something I would remotely consider drinking neat. Bulleit is about the floor of what I consider drinkable in that category, and bulleit is a good bit better than jb.
Propaganda is a helluva drug, that's for sure.
Tell them it’s horrible and they should stay in Florida.
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.
They make Knob Creek, which is 100 proof
I have to water that stuff down. Fine once in awhile but basic Jim or Jack is mother's milk, for a daily half-shot.
Japan has a greater appreciation for American things like jazz and bourbon than Americans do
there's a japanese jazz scene?
a vibrant one
Japanese jazz is the best out there.
Music is Japan is huge.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/why-is-japan-a-jazz-paradise-or-why-the-japanese-feel-at-home-in-jazz
They've got a pretty hoping rockabilly subculture too
I don't know if it still does, but I know electronic jazz had a big scene there a few years back.
While it's certainly true that Jim Beam can no longer honestly keep the label of 'all American' due to corporate structure, they have kept up much of the American tradition and culture around Kentucky bourbon by generally letting them run autonomously. However, to your point, that's definitely not guaranteed to continue-especially if profits are gonna start being fucked with. American jobs and culture are under pressure from both trump and outside corporate organizations. It was already insulting enough that a faceless corporation took it upon itself to be a steward of a part of American culture and history, but then the shameless sellout? It's that irresponsible behavior that makes these corporations so inherently unreliable and untrustworthy no matter how faithful they may act for however long.
If you've never seen it, watch Ned Beatty's speech from the movie Network.
https://youtu.be/35DSdw7dHjs
The whole movie is excellent, and went from cutting edge satire to quaint docudrama in real time.
Interesting. I should look it up for sure. While I'm certainly very much inherently in the camp of primarily approaching philosophy in a more traditional analytic style, I've become more appreciative of more artistic and "messy" packaging as of late, and this is certainly doing it for me. I love the absurd oversimplification disguised in rationality and nuance's clothes. All that education these douchecanoes get only to never apply that same academic rigor to their worldview.
"Make it... Suntori time..."
https://youtu.be/FiQnH450hPM#t=1m53s
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.