The Whiskey Glut Upending America’s Bourbon Heartland

Summary

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WSJ What’s News (May 22, 2026)

Episode Summary: "The Whiskey Glut Upending America’s Bourbon Heartland"

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the economic forces currently upending Kentucky's iconic bourbon industry. Once buoyed by a cocktail boom and pandemic-era stockpiling, distilleries are now grappling with a drastic slowdown in alcohol sales. The show’s in-depth segment features Wall Street Journal reporter Laura Cooper, who explores how distillers are recalibrating, considering mergers, and pivoting to new products as they face an unprecedented glut of unsold whiskey maturing in their warehouses.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Bourbon Boom Fizzles into Glut (09:06 – 10:22)

• Kentucky is home to 95% of the world’s bourbon, with 125 licensed distilleries, the most since Prohibition.
• The past decade saw explosive growth (“cocktail craze” and pandemic stockpiling), leading distillers to fill more barrels in anticipation of sustained demand.
• However, current market conditions—driven by inflation, changing consumer habits, and global trade tensions—have shifted dramatically, resulting in oversupply.

Quote:

“A lot of liquid was put into barrels in Kentucky that would eventually become whiskey. And obviously that's a many years process. So that whiskey is coming to maturity into a very different market than it went into the barrel.”
— Laura Cooper (09:49)

2. Impact on Major Players & Industry Response (10:22 – 11:12)

• Major brands like Jim Beam are pausing production and taking their signature stills offline.
  • Example: Jim Beam’s 65-foot still in Clermont is on hold; production has shifted elsewhere.
• The strategy focuses on not adding to excess inventory as existing stock matures.

Quote:

“A lot of the players generally have turned off their stills…they need to be able to figure out where they will sell that in the future.”
— Laura Cooper (10:32)

3. Mergers & Acquisitions: Pressure and Opportunity (11:12 – 12:16)

• Financial and operational pressures are spurring talks of consolidation.
• Notable rumored deals: Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman, though talks collapsed.
• Ongoing interest from Kentucky-based Sazerac in expanded partnerships and investments (e.g., into tequila brands), showing other spirits sectors are also under scrutiny.

Quote:

“Generally…it's a tough time. If you were having a tough time, you might want to consider merging with somebody else.”
— Laura Cooper (11:29)

4. Adapting to New Consumer Trends (12:16 – 13:14)

• Bourbon makers are shifting strategy, innovating products and formats:
  • Increasing focus on small bottles for affordability.
  • Flavored spirits (e.g., Jim Beam Pineapple).
  • Expansion into non-alcoholic products (Citrus Sin, a non-alcoholic citrus drink bearing the Jim Beam name).
• This evolution speaks to shifting demographics and consumer preferences.

Quote:

“Jim Beam has infused its alcohol with pineapple, which is resonating with younger legal age drinkers…[and] there’s Citrus Sin, a citrus non-alcoholic drink that bears the Jim Beam name.”
— Laura Cooper (12:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the logistical challenge:

  “That whiskey is coming to maturity into a very different market than it went into the barrel.”
  (Laura Cooper, 09:49)

• On industry existential questions:

  “I would say…it's a tough time. And if you were having a tough time, you might want to consider merging with somebody else.”
  (Laura Cooper, 11:29)

• On innovation and change:

  “We're also seeing a lot of folks move into small bottles…Jim Beam has infused its alcohol with pineapple…[and] a non-alcoholic drink that bears the Jim Beam name.”
  (Laura Cooper, 12:33)

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Timeline of Key Segments

• 09:06 – 09:49: Background on Kentucky bourbon’s boom years and the glut
• 10:22 – 11:12: Major producers' responses—pausing production, recalibrating inventory
• 11:12 – 12:16: Mergers & acquisitions—pressures leading to consolidation talks
• 12:16 – 13:14: Shift to new product lines—flavored, affordable, and non-alcoholic offerings

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Tone and Style

• The conversation is analytical and forward-looking, with a sense of appreciation for the bourbon industry’s storied past and an eye toward its uncertain but innovative future.
• Laura Cooper emphasizes both the challenges and proactive adaptations underway among distillers.

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Conclusion

The bourbon industry—once riding high—is now confronting a glut that’s forcing storied distilleries to rethink everything from production schedules to product lines and potential mergers. Flexible adaptation, consumer-driven innovation, and new business strategies are shaping the next chapter in America’s bourbon heartland.

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Transcript

[Harvard Business School Executive Education Announcer]

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[Daniel Bach]

The US Puts arms sales to Taiwan on hold plus weight loss drugs show a surprising ability to slow down cancer. And we look at how the slowdown in alcohol sales is impacting the US Native Spirit Bourbon A lot of folks

[Laura Cooper]

are trying to kind of recalibrate with taking their stills offline for a period of time and putting less liquid in barrels as the others come to maturity because they need to be able to figure out where they will sell that in the Future.

[Daniel Bach]

It's Friday, May 22nd. I'm Daniel Bach for the Wall Street Journal, filling in for Luke Vardas. And here is the AM edition of what's news, the top headlines and business stories moving your world. House Republican leaders have yanked a plan to vote to restrict President Trump's ability to conduct military strikes against Iran. That's after it became clear that the resolution forced to the floor by Democrats would likely pass.

[Unidentified Interruption]

People can afford their groceries. Is that why you're pulling it? You guys don't have the House will be in order.

[Daniel Bach]

Passage would have been seen as a rebuke of Trump and the war he started without seeking authorization from Congress. Opinion polls show most Americans are opposed to the war, which has led to rising energy costs and disrupted global supply chains. Trump and his allies have defended the war as necessary to deny Iran a nuclear weapon. The US Is putting a planned arms sale for Taiwan on hold. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Kao told Congress that the munitions and the arms that were being sold to Taipei are going to be needed in Iran instead. Jonathan Chang is the Journal's China bureau chief, and he says while this may be down to a lack of munitions, the timing is key. With the news coming just days after President Trump was in Beijing, certainly in

[Jonathan Chang]

Taiwan, this is going to be received with alarm because there was already this concern here that President Trump was breaking with US Precedent and consulting China before making any possible arms sales to Taiwan. Certainly if you're sitting in Beijing, this is good news because whatever the reason, whether it's because President Trump does see this as a negotiating chip with Beijing, or whether or not it's because the Iran war has forced the US to have to redeploy its arms towards the Middle east rather than towards Taiwan, that's a good thing for Beijing.

[Daniel Bach]

Hong Kong told the Senate Appropriations Committee that arms sales to Taiwan would continue once the Trump administration deemed it appropriate. Meanwhile, the president has said the US will be sending 5,000 extra troops to Poland, and it comes just days after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a deployment to the country that was underway earlier this month. Trump said he would pull 4,000 troops out of Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Mertz was critical of the US War on Iran.

[Marco Rubio]

I don't think anyone is shocked to know that the United States, and the president in particular, is very disappointed at NATO right now.

[Daniel Bach]

That's U.S. secretary of State Marco Rubio, who lashed out at some allies ahead of a meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Sweden this morning.

[Marco Rubio]

Why is NATO good for America? Because it gives US Bases in the region that allow us to project power during a contingency in the Middle east or somewhere else. So when that is the key rationale for why you're in NATO and then you have countries like Spain denying us the use of these bases, well then why are you in NATO there?

[Daniel Bach]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rotte has fielded questions on the recent shifts in policy from the U.S. including the new troop announcement.

[Mark Rotte]

Our military commanders are working through all the details, but of course I welcome it. But let's be clear. The trajectory we are on, which is a stronger European, a stronger NATO, making sure we will, overtime, step by step, be less reliant on one ally only, as we have been for so long, which is the United States, so that also they have the possibility and the option to pivot more towards other priorities which are also in our interest, will

[Daniel Bach]

continue and Canada's oil rich province of Alberta will hold a referendum in October on whether to leave Canada. But the province's premier, Danielle Smith, said it won't actually be a vote on whether to become an independent country. A ballot question will ask whether Alberta should stay in Canada or take legal steps under the constitution to hold a binding referendum on separating. SpaceX has delayed the launch of its newest Starship rocket after several problems cropped up shortly before last night's planned countdown. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later said in a social media post that a hydraulic pin on part of the launch tower didn't function correctly. He also added that the company could try the flight today if the problem is fixed. It turns out weight loss drugs may have a surprising side effect in stalling cancer. Four different studies have found GLP1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro can reduce tumor progression, lower the overall chance of death, and lessen the risk of developing breast and lung cancer, in addition to reducing blood sugar and spurring weight loss. The drugs are already approved for reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes and in testing for helping with sleep apnea and dampening addictive behaviors. The cancer studies were observational and further research is needed to confirm the findings. And we've got a special bonus episode coming later today. In the latest what's News and earnings. We look at Nvidia's blistering growth in the latest quarter and the growing competition it faces. The that'll be in your what's News feed today at midday.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome, welcome one and all to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert.

[Daniel Bach]

After 11 years and more than 1800 episodes, last night, Stephen Colbert hosted the final edition of the Late Show.

[Stephen Colbert]

If you're just tuning into the Late show, you missed a lot.

[Daniel Bach]

For fans, it was a bittersweet final broadcast of the Late show, which was canceled after a 33 year run. Journal media reporter Isabella Simonetti says it marks the end of an era for late night television.

[Isabella Simonetti]

The cancellation of Colbert's show is just one symptom of the challenged economics in television. Still, late night has emerged at the center of many of the Trump administration's conflicts with the media. So some skeptics might argue that Colbert's show was canceled for political reasons, despite CBS statement that the decision was purely financial. CBS's parent company Paramount, finalized a historic agreement to buy rival media company Warner Brothers Discovery earlier this year. That move, which requires regulatory approval, has raised eyebrows both about political motives at play and financial headwinds in the media industry. And Colbert himself has wielded political influence by poking fun at the Trump administration.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yesterday, just yesterday, yesterday, Trump took a break from profiting off the presidency to speak at the annual Congressional picnic. And he gave this update on the war in Iran.

[Isabella Simonetti]

But more broadly, late night is at the center of the Trump administration's tensions with the media. And hosts like Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have repeatedly drawn the president's ire. More specifically, and recently, Disney's abc, which is home to late night host Jimmy Kimmel's show is in a high stakes fight with the Federal Communications Commission. And more broadly, it represents the continuing tensions that will outlive the Late show with Stephen Colbert between late night networks and the media industry broadly and Trump.

[Daniel Bach]

To close out the show, Colbert was joined in the Ed Sullivan theater by Paul McCartney, the site of the Beatles first performance on American television.

[Paul McCartney]

You say that, I say hello.

[Daniel Bach]

Joined by the show's band and former bandleader Jon Batiste, they perform the Beatles song hello, Goodbye. Coming up, Kentucky's Bourbon Distilleries are stacked with barrels of unsold whiskey amidst a slowdown hitting the US Booze industry. That story after the break.

[Laura Thoreau]

I'm Laura Thoreau, managing director with Baird Private Wealth Management. For so many of us, life is big. Between balancing family, career and community, finding the time and focus to keep your financial plans on track can be a challenge. At Baird, we understand our financial advisors will partner with you to create a plan that's uniquely yours, one that gives you peace of mind and confidence so you can focus on what matters most.

Discover the baird [e-mail] WSJ.

[Daniel Bach]

Kentucky is the heartland of America's bourbon industry, home to 125 licensed distilleries, the most since Prohibition was repealed in the 1930s. With a cocktail craze that kicked off around 2010 and people stocking up their bars during the pandemic, things were booming. But a mix of inflation, trade wars and more people choosing not to drink alcohol has dramatically changed things for the US Drinks Industry Journal reporter Laura Cooper covers the sector. Laura, obviously there's Tennessee whiskey, rye, single malts, lots of whiskey made across the United States. But for your story, you focused on Kentucky, where 95% of the world's bourbon is made. Give us a sense of how the state's been hit by a slowdown in boo sales.

[Laura Cooper]

Yeah. So bourbon is America's native spirit. I decided to focus on it because it was in quite a boom, especially after Covid. We saw a lot of money pour into Kentucky. You can see it in the infrastructure, you can see it in the contract distillers. That kind of popped up. And because so many folks were interested in stocking their bar carts, a lot of liquid was put into barrels in Kentucky that would eventually become whiskey. And obviously that's a many years process. So that whiskey is coming to maturity into a very different market than it went into the barrel.

[Laura Thoreau]

And how much is this impacting the major players? These are storied companies. Tell us a little bit about how existential this is for them.

[Laura Cooper]

Yeah, so a lot of the players generally have turned off their stills. Whether it was last year, whether it's now. The guys chose to focus on Jim Beam, which is the best selling brand in the world of bourbon. And they have put their 65 foot still in Clermont on a pause. They've moved a lot of production to a different place. But this is, you know, on the main site of Jim Beam. Because of that, a lot of folks are trying to kind of recalibrate with taking their stills offline. For a period of time and putting less liquid in barrels as the others come to maturity because they need to be able to figure out where they will sell that in the future.

[Laura Thoreau]

The Journal has reported on a number of potential mergers in the sector led by your reporting. Is that pressure on the industry driving this talk around mergers and acquisitions, picking up a good deal or being able just to stay alive?

[Laura Cooper]

I would say that generally and I cover beer, wine and spirits across the board, it's a tough time. And if you were having a tough time, you might want to consider merging with somebody else. Earlier this year we actually saw that French spirit giant Pernod Ricard and Brown Foreman, which owns Jack Daniels and is based in Louisville in Kentucky, were discussing a potential deal that fell apart a little while later. But my understanding of it was they were interested in it because of the synergies geograph. But also since then we've seen folks like Sazerac, also based in Kentucky, interested in Brown Forman or for instance, they recently did an investment in 818 tequila. So I think there are opportunities that folks are seeing in this market.

[Laura Thoreau]

And just lastly, Laura, I wanted to ask you about how these bourbon makers are seeing their future. They're obviously not sitting on their hands waiting for sales to pick back up. They're being proactive and that includes a shift into new products as well.

[Daniel Bach]

Right.

[Laura Thoreau]

You focused on Jim Beam for your story.

[Laura Cooper]

Yes, and I will say that the bourbon industry is a very proud industry. They're considering different things. The harder things are turning off your stills for a certain amount of time. We're also seeing a lot of folks move into small bottles of alcohol which is picking up steam because of affordability. Jim Beam has infused its alcohol with pineapple, which is resonating with younger legal age drinkers. And then on top of that, there's Citrus Sin, which is a citrus non alcoholic drink that bears the Jim Beam name. And that is a interesting thing to see, Jim Beam, traditionally a very well known bourbon, breaking into the non alcoholic space. But I think that speaks also to what we're seeing from consumers.

[Daniel Bach]

Laura Cooper covers the beverage industry for the Journal. Laura, thanks for this.

[Laura Cooper]

No problem. Thanks so much.

[Daniel Bach]

And that's it for what's news for this Friday morning. Today's show was produced by me, Daniel Bok, with help from Hattie Moyer. Our supervising producer is Sondra Kilhoff. We'll be back tonight with a new show after that. Both shows will take a break on Monday for Memorial Day until Tuesday. Have a nice weekend and thanks for listening.

[Jessica Leoncini]

At Janice Henderson, we strive to deliver better outcomes through insight led investing, innovation for clients and a partnership approach that's core to our identity. I'm Jessica Leoncini, Head of Fixed Income Client Portfolio Management. I am passionate about my role in investments. It allows me to partner with our clients, simplify fixed income, and support them in achieving better outcomes for their clients. Janice Henderson, Investing in a Brighter Future Together.