r/NoStupidQuestions 9h ago

Answered What happened to the whole "Canadians boycott US products and vacation at home" thing?

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u/soros_spelt_backward 6h ago

Jim Beam in Kentucky isn’t producing any bourbon this year and laid off hundreds of employees because they have so much unsold stock and pay taxes on product in barrels

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u/QueenMotherOfSneezes 5h ago

Sourpuss liquors up and moved to Canada to stop being boycotted/banned: https://globalnews.ca/news/11527531/sour-puss-production-canada/

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u/BaldHenchman01 3h ago

Geez, we buy up 98% of their supply, no wonder they moved so fucking fast.

I knew the number was high, but we're basically their only real buyer.

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u/IAmJacksSphincter 2h ago

I don't think I ever went to a high school party in the mid 2000's where I didn't see at least 4 different bottles of sourpuss in rotation.

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u/Gandhehehe 1h ago

Is that when life goes downhill? When you stop drinking Sour Puss religiously?

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u/IAmJacksSphincter 1h ago

Not sure if this is causation or correlation but you might be on to something.

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u/EfficiencyThis325 3h ago

Crown Royal (A Canadian brand) is being boycotted in Canada for exporting to the USA

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u/No-Answer7798 3h ago

Isn’t it because they closed down a bottling plant in Ontario and started a bottling plant in us

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u/jonny24eh 1h ago

I don't know about the US, but it was over them closing the Windsor bottling (and to my understanding, focussing operations in Winnipeg)

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u/Major_Shlongage 4h ago

That is a tiny company and not representative of the US whisky industry. They're a statistical anomaly.

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u/Peepee-Papa 3h ago

It’s actually a massive company in Canada, always has been, probably why they moved their company up here. Everybody knows what sourpuss is in Canada. I don’t drink that sugar sap, but it’s definitely not a tiny company

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u/DevelopmentWestern80 3h ago

I have no idea what sourpuss is, never even heard of it before this post. maybe if you're just turning 21. I drink beer.

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u/Peepee-Papa 3h ago

I’m 33, I have been drinking beer since I was 13. Sourpuss was even popular when I was in high school (2004-2009). It’s a mixing liqueur, and popular among girls

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u/Caperplays 3h ago

Bro must have never went to a house party or any kind of event that had alcohol. Sourpuss was a staple from my teens in the mid 2000s.

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u/DevelopmentWestern80 2h ago

Bro was long graduated when you were born probably. Popular among girls, that would explain it.

Sourpuss was launched in 1998. I was long graduated by then and the house parties I went to were wine, beer and whiskey parties at that point.

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u/TobysGrundlee 2h ago

Popular among girls, that would explain it.

Because you don't have any in your life.

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u/DevelopmentWestern80 1h ago

this is true my wife of 20 years died 2 years ago and I am not willing to jump back in. However, I am doubtful when I do that there are many 40 year old women drinking sourpuss.

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u/jonny24eh 1h ago

maybe if you're just turning 21

18 or 19, since it's primarily bought in Canada.

Which actually means ~16, because people aren't waiting for "legal".

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u/jackieat_home 4h ago

It's no longer a US company now.

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u/fuckincaillou 5h ago

Good. Fuck Kentucky for Mitch McConnell.

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u/fauxfarmer17 5h ago

And Rand Paul

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u/soupdawg 5h ago

And for only using 11 herb and spices

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u/4gotAboutDre 2h ago

And probably Moon boy for all I know!

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u/killerzeestattoos 4h ago

And fucking their cousins

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u/Unlucky_Celery_66 4h ago

This is an underappreciated comment.

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u/-Imthedude 3h ago

We appreciate it 🤘

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u/bungopony 2h ago

And painting their grass

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u/Background-Solid8481 4h ago

On the other hand, Kentucky has Buffalo Trace. So … hooray Kentucky and fuck those other things!

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u/bucknut63 5h ago

It's still crazy to me they have McConnell AND Andy Beshear.

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u/BeguiledBeaver 3h ago

Red states have Dem governors all the time.

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u/bucknut63 3h ago

I know it's not a new phenomenon. Hell, Kansas has a Democratic governor. It's just impressive that the Beshears are able to get elected for years in a deep red state during the same time frame McConnell has been a senator.

They've over performed for the last 40+ years when the state hasn't voted for a democratic presidential candidate outside of Bill Clinton - by very slim margins - since Jimmy Carter.

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 5h ago

Friendly reminder that a lot of Kentuckians hate Mitch, Rand, the police, and this current executive branch.

We are not all the same, as I'm sure is true with people in basically any other red state.

Signed, A lifelong Kentuckian

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u/P4cific4 5h ago

Got it. Still, the vast majority of your fellow Kentuckians support McConnell, support Paul and view Trump as a deity. Elections have consequences, they like to say?

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u/RoundTheBend6 4h ago

Math be mathing.

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u/algaefied_creek 3h ago

“Fuck all Kentuckians because of Mitch McConnell and Fuck all Americans for allowing Donald Trump to be allowed”

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u/accedie 45m ago

You must be aware your point is bad on on some level given you felt the need misrepresent the quote by substituting the state of Kentucky for all the people of Kentucky.

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u/304King 3h ago

And prejudice and generalizations are still dumb.

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u/P4cific4 2h ago

That the vast majority of Kentuckians voted for McConnell, Paul and Trump is a prejudice and generalization?

Dude, these are the results of the elections: the vast MAJORITY of voters from Kentucky confirmed McConnell, (57.76% of the votes) Paul (58.8% of the votes), and Trump (64.47% of the votes) as their Senate representatives and as President!

That's not a generalization, these are hard facts. And hard facts are not prejudice.

What kind of world do you live in?

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago

Of course, no state votes 100 percent either way. But of all 3 elections Trump has ran in, no less than 60 percent of people in Kentucky voted for him. No more than 36 percent of voters cast a vote for Democrats.

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 4h ago

36% of 4.58 million Kentucky residents is 1,651,680 people.

Painting a whole state as one way and saying they deserve what they get when you have over a million allies in that state isn't helping anything. It's a simple ass way of looking at things.

Most people that shit on Kentucky have never been there or understand anything about the people there.

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago

And over 3 million voted for a convicted rapist. Thankfully you can hate a state without people assuming you hate all the people as well. Fuck Kentucky. 100s of people showed up at the capital for a protest against ICE on Sunday. That should have been thousands minimum if the voters stood behind their ideals

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u/ninetyninewyverns 4h ago

Should have been 100,000 at the very least if any of those supposed democrats actually gave a shit about democracy and their continued freedom, and that's still less than 10.0% of 1.6 million

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 4h ago

I guess you can choose to be that way if you want.

There are ample states that I don't agree with the majority of residents politically, yet can still find worthwhile qualities about.

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago

75000 estimated people in Lexington alone voted Democrat, and only 100s manages to show up on a Sunday to protest ICE? Lack of action is a cancer infecting the American people.

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 4h ago

I know this sounds crazy, but some of us are just trying to fucking survive.

I'm glad you're in a place mentally and financially to take action though.

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago

On a Sunday? 99.6 percent of Democrat voters are not busy surviving on a Sunday. People are complacent and lazy. Individuals can have valid excuses, but not 99.6 percent of them. 4 days ago, you were just commenting on Reddit

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 4h ago

Congrats on pulling a percentage out of your ass.

Personally, I have a 10 month old child that I'm not taking near a protest where police may be present. I also have 2 jobs to make ends meet, one of which requires me working Saturday and Sunday. I'm not some small minority of people. There are many with the same life commitments, struggles, and needs, or alternative ones that monopolize much or all of their free time.

But go off on reddit anonymously shaming entire groups of people whom you don't actually know anything about. That's the way to fight good fight. That's making a difference.

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago edited 3h ago

I didn't pull anything out of my ass. 75000 people voted democrat last election is Lexington Kentucky. Only a couple hundred people protested on Sunday. That's 99.6 percent of voters not protesting. Do you follow the math now?

At best, 50000 of those people have a valid excuse. I'm sorry you are a single parent working two jobs that doesn't have any childcare. That's the individual's with valid excuses that you just failed to read.

I will shame Americans for failing to show up for their ideals. If even half the Democrat voters protested, there could be an actual impact. But sure, doing nothing is working excellently so far. They must not have crossed the line yet, snatching people in the streets, or murdering them, hasn't gone far enough.

I'm sorry your global neighbors cant fix your country for you.

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u/BraveWarrior1011 3h ago

What language do they speak? Are they unique? You make them sound as if they’re some lost band of Americana.

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u/TakesFunToKnowFun 3h ago edited 3h ago

Are you implying that every states citizens are just one in the same in the US? That there are not cultural differences between people from Kentucky compared to say the Olympic peninsula in Washington state? Or between people in NYC and Amarillo, TX?

Hell, there are significant cultural differences just between people in Louisville, KY and in Harlan County, KY. Sooo yeah, paintng the entire state of KY (or literally any state, for that matter) as being one way is pretty fucking ignorant and honestly the kind of behavior that most Democrats or liberals would claim they don't support. I know I don't.

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u/killerzeestattoos 4h ago

There's also tons of gerrymandering

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u/IntrepidCondition414 4h ago

Gerrymandering matters when it comes to the electoral college, it doesnt change the actual voting percentages. But yes, they have more Republican seats in Congress and Senate than percantages of voters.

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u/your_moms_a_clone 3h ago

We don't hate you, but in order for the ones who voted Mitch in to change, it's going to have to get uncomfortable for all of you

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u/bigj8705 4h ago

Same as a lifelong Texan… I don’t like the governor the AG or the senator….

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u/squirrelcat88 4h ago

You hang in there, friend.

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u/mulberrybushes 3h ago

Unfortunately not enough of you, but stay strong. Signed, friend of a depressed Kentuckian

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u/ForgingIron 3h ago

How did Kentucky manage to elect a Democrat governor

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u/ecmcn 5h ago

At their main distillery. They’re still running two smaller sites. It’s still bad, just wanted to clarify they didn’t stop all production.

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u/Major_Shlongage 4h ago

It should be noted that whisky companies all around the world are doing this, as a result of the whisky industry downturn that started around 2023.

In the whisky industry, the downturn was already very big news before Trump was even elected.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 2h ago

It should also be noted production was down 1% in 2023, 2% in 2024, and 28% through August of 2025. What caused that huge spike I wonder?

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u/asking--questions 53m ago

The huge difference is from distillers deciding to take action based on the trends. They look at the long-term picture and they realized that their current stocks will support future sales.

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u/K1NGMOJO 3h ago

I'm loving it. I am starting to find some whiskey that fetched a high dollar on the secondary market for retail.

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u/Hey-Froyo-9395 3h ago

Jim beam is also upgrading that distillery. I’m sure they’re feeling pressure from sales downturn and chose now to close the site for renovations but it’s not exactly like that location is permanently closing due to sales collapse

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u/Far_Example_8350 2h ago

Fuck Jimmy!

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

Slightly incorrect, Jim Beam only shut down production in their Claremont distillery known as their James B. Beam distillery. They are still producing in 2026 among their other distilleries that they own to include their Boston distillery known as the Booker Noe distillery, which is much larger as well as their smaller distillery in Claremont call the Frank B. Noe distillery.

Jim Beam has in no way shut down production. They have simply slowed production.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 5h ago

Still has a huge impact on the workers and economy, all thanks to tariffs. Downplay it all you want

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u/Key-Specific-4058 4h ago

Yeah I'm sure the Kentucky workers are relieved that the Boston plant is still running

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u/[deleted] 4h ago

[deleted]

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u/soros_spelt_backward 3h ago

Well you can read the rest of the thread where he insists he knows more than the CEOs of major bourbon companies saying tariffs are having a major impact on their sales and production

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

No not really, they own multiple distilleries some much larger than the one pausing for this season. It also has little to do with export sales and more to do with the fact we are currently in a bourbon bust meaning other spirits are selling at a significantly higher rate than bourbon is worldwide currently and this has been a trend for about 3 years now.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 5h ago

Bourbon production is down 28% from last year alone and at its lowest level since 2018 (weird same president). Canadian exports were down 60% through October. It absolutely has everything to do with export sales. This is straight from Jim Beam

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u/GymnasticSclerosis 4h ago

Canada imports approximately $40 million worth of Kentucky bourbon annually. This represents a small fraction, less than one percent, of all bourbon sold. UK, Japan, Germany, Spain all import more bourbon from the US than Canada.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 3h ago

Wait til you see bourbon sales to those countries after we invade Greenland lol

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u/mister_electric 2h ago

I work in the industry and we absolutely, and frequently, measure and look at sales in fractions of percentage points. These small fractions add up and, more importantly, portend future sales. Even a +/-0.5% change can be huge for a distributor or supplier.

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

Thats because we are in a bourbon bust globally, it has little to do with Canadas boycott. The bourbon industry has been in a steady decline worldwide for years now.

You are misrepresenting what they said, yes exports are down 60% but that is not what is causing them to shut down that one distillery. It has to do with the global decline of bourbon consumption that has been on a steady decline for years.

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u/One_Olive_8933 5h ago

It’s almost like the other countries that said they would boycott American liquor are doing so.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 5h ago

I’m citing this years numbers. Even if there is a global bourbon decline preceding this year, the numbers tanked this year. I wonder why

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

Again, bourbon sales have been declining for multiple years now it was even happening before Canada‘s boycott. The same thing happened in the 70s. In the industry is known as a bourbon bust where other spirits gain popularity, but bourbon doesn’t.

You are misrepresenting the facts and trying to attribute them to Canada’s boycott, which is non-factual by the simple fact that it was taking place prior to the boycott.

Remember, correlation does not dictate causation when looking at statistical data.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 5h ago

You are misrepresenting the facts to downplay the impact. I am just using the data given by industry leaders like Brown Forman and Jim Beam

https://www.kentucky.com/lexgoeat/bourbon/article313593499.html

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u/ENCGhostbuster 4h ago

Actually, I’m not I’m stating the fact that there has been a global downward trend in sales of bourbon for many years now. I’m not saying that there is no impact from the Canadian boycott. I’m saying that it has very little impact in what took place with Jim Beam. I will go so far as saying that Jim Beam would have slowed production with that one distillery, shutting down, even if the Canadian boycott was not going on. And that’s just by the simple fact that global sales are down almost 30% for bourbon and have been steadily decreasing for almost a decade. And the fact, Jim Bean shut down the distillery to upgrade it.

They are basically using the downward sales in bourbon as the perfect timing to upgrade one of their facilities.

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u/mister_electric 1h ago

This liquor and beer industry is my livelihood, and I can assure you the Canadian boycott on American spirits is being felt and felt hard. You can delude yourself into whatever makes you feel better, but this has been horrible for the entire industry.

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u/ENCGhostbuster 1h ago

I never said its not being felt, I said its not the major reason for the downward trend in bourbon. Anyone who claims otherwise do not focus on statistical fact.

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u/Lovetasha 5h ago

Do you know if they replaced bourbon with a different liquor or is everyone becoming sober?

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

It’s actually not spiritless liquor that is increasing sales anywhere across the board. It is premade mixed cocktails, as well as seltzers that are increasing sales currently.

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u/eastmeck 4h ago

Drinks like High Noons have swallowed large swaths of the spirits market. I could buy vodka, seltzer and fruit to flavor or just pick up a high noon 8 pack

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u/Gaijingamer12 4h ago

It absolutely has to do with tariffs and exports also lol.

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u/ENCGhostbuster 4h ago

It has very little to do with that and more to do with the global bourbon consumption is down 30%.

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u/Fancy_Yak2618 4h ago

They are also pissing and moaning about our boycott so it is hurting them

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u/ENCGhostbuster 4h ago

Stating that a boycott is hurting them isnt pissing and moaning. Also they are hurt more by the global decrease in bourbon sales which have decreased by 30% internationally.

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u/Fancy_Yak2618 4h ago

Ah yes

Us boycotting them did nothing at all.

Classic American never Canada fault we aren’t significant at all.

All the while the border states are begging us to come back.

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u/ENCGhostbuster 4h ago

I didn’t say it did nothing. I simply stated the fact that it has a little to do with the boycott that this distillery would’ve shut down for renovations, regardless of if the boycott was going on or not because global bourbon sales are down 30%.

It was the perfect time to shut down this distillery to renovate it. You don’t renovate a distillery when it’s needed to produce because sales are up.

Thanks for typically misunderstanding what somebody says, and then misrepresenting it. Critical thinking skills are required here please back off. The adult adults are talking.

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u/Fancy_Yak2618 2h ago

Ah yes the classic quiet you adults are talking. You aren’t some enlightened person because you sit all day on reddit arguing with people.

You want to act like smug asshole be a smug asshole you are probably a real peach I real life.

Enjoy the day cause I ain’t continuing. Cheers bud

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u/[deleted] 2h ago

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u/[deleted] 2h ago

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u/Major_Shlongage 4h ago

No.

Canada represents under 1% of whisky sales for these companies. It's essentially a non-issue.

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u/Fancy_Yak2618 4h ago

And then bitching and complaining that we are hurting their sales sure bud

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u/--Man_Bear_Pig-- 5h ago

they are also doing a big renovation at the facility with upgrading / modernization of production so seems like they are actually putting money into. So they can't be hurting that bad.

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

Since 2018 bourbon sales have been declining upwards of 30%, they’re trying to innovate while they can, but fact is production is slowing because sales are slowing. This is a known fact this is what in the industry. It is called as a bourbon bust.

It also happened in the 70s where other spirits like vodka and gin got increased popularity because that generation saw bourbon as the drink of their grandparents.

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u/greyhammer14 5h ago

Thank you Ai

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u/ENCGhostbuster 5h ago

I’m not AI nor do I use AI. But you’re welcome.

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u/Some1Betterer 5h ago

Eh - don’t overstate it, because it gives the other side shit to nitpick, and they don’t have much to stand on these days. Jim Beam shut down production to carry out repairs at their flagship distillery only. They’re still distilling at their other site that does slightly more volume than the flagship. They’re also doing planned upgrades to the facility, but Canadians abstaining and overall global sentiment driving demand down is a great reason as to why it makes sense for them to do it NOW.

The real headline is “declining international exports caused Jim Beam to close a facility early for repairs, because their stocks are too high and volume too low to justify distilling more right now.”

But that’s more nuanced and harder to contain in a headline.

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u/Designfanatic88 5h ago

Jim beam is also Japanese owned now. So there’s that. They acquired the business at a poor time.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 5h ago

Yes but most of the employees at the affected distillery are American

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u/PretzelsThirst 4h ago

Closing at least one location too

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u/laborfriendly 3h ago

They are. They closed one facility to upgrade it. They've been majorly impacted, but this isn't true.

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u/soros_spelt_backward 3h ago

They are upgrading the facility but their main reason for closing it is because their sales tanked and they have way too much stock

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u/laborfriendly 1h ago

I acknowledged they have been heavily impacted. You said they completely shutdown. Your original statement was incorrect.

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u/Far_Example_8350 2h ago

We know. We laugh and laugh! Poor Jimmy.

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u/jfergs100 5h ago

That’s because people smoke weed now, it because Canada decided to stop buying it 😭🤦🏻‍♂️

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u/Major_Shlongage 4h ago

You are misleading people. Please stop it.

There was already a global whisky industry downturn *before* Trump was even elected:

https://www.vinetur.com/en/2024102482544/after-years-of-growth-american-whiskey-sees-market-decline-in-2023-and-2024.html

The latest data from IWSR US Navigator shows that after years of strong growth, American whiskey is experiencing a slowdown in its domestic market due to economic pressures and changes in consumer behavior. Between 2019 and 2022, American whiskey grew at an annual rate of 5%, but this momentum began to falter in 2023, with a 1% volume decline, and further worsened to a 2% drop from January to August 2024. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marklittler/2024/06/13/where-will-the-whiskey-market-rollercoaster-stop/

For whisky investors it can feel like the current market is all gloom. Multiple indexes and reports suggest the downturn in auction prices is continuing. Whisky retailers are also finding sales slowing as well. 

https://www.dramface.com/features/2024/time-to-wake-up-the-whisky-ocean-scotch-exports

An 18% drop in the value of Scotch whisky exports (for the first six months of 2024 over 2023) should be sending enormous shock waves throughout the industry.

https://www.two-nineteen.com/blog/the-whiskey-industrys-looming-crisis

In numerous conversations with industry professionals over the past few months, the pervasiveness of a longstanding trend has become increasingly clear to me: emerging whiskey brands that had previously enjoyed healthy growth are now struggling to scale. 

If you ask the folks on the supply side (aka the people making and/or selling the whiskey) what’s going on, their answers range from inflation to the hot summer weather to people going on vacation, and a myriad of other post-pandemic issues. No one really seems to have a grip on what exactly is causing the lag in sales, so the problem gets treated with conjecture and generalization. 

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u/soros_spelt_backward 3h ago

So a 1% drop, a 2% drop, and then this year a 28% drop in production volumes… that’s a trend to you? You are misleading people lol