Hickory Hill
Hickory Hill, KY · Food & Drink
Lexington Herald-Leader
Will Jim Beam distill next year in Clermont? The latest on Kentucky's bourbon giant
Major Kentucky distillery Jim Beam, which stunned the world in December 2025 b y closing its Clermont distillery for a year , plans to keep it offline at least through 2027. “We’re going to continue to have distillation paused at our Clermont distillery,” said Suntory president and CEO Greg Hughes in an interview with the Herald-Leader. “But Clermont remains a very active part of our Kentucky operations.” The campus, which has been the bourbon brand’s home just outside of Bardstown for 90 years, continues to operate tours and visitor experiences as well as bottling, aging, warehousing and other daily activities. But the bulk of distilling shifted to the larger industrial Booker Noe distillery in Boston. Hughes said that after a $400 million expansion there a few years ago that increased distilling capacity by 50%, Beam was able to meet current distilling demands there while making improvements at the Clermont site. They’d originally planned to reopen sooner and still will someday. “We’ll move back at some point to distilling at Clermont,” he said. “If demand accelerates dramatically, we have the flexibility to go back into production at Clermont. Obviously, we need to get the infrastructure improvements made, which will take us
fastfoodclub.com
fastfoodclub.com
linknky.com
northwestbeerguide.com
The Columbus Dispatch
Why you can't miss these 6 Thanksgiving Eve bars across the Midwest
Before you eat enough turkey and mashed potatoes to feed a small army on Thanksgiving, another tradition is on the calendar for the Wednesday before the holiday. The day, which this year falls on Nov. 25, is when college students and young adults return to their hometowns for the holidays and meet up with old friends at local bars. And some people take the non-traditional holiday seriously. A 2023 national study found that in 2022, liquor orders the day before Thanksgiving grew by 156% and beer sales roses 85%. So, what are the best hometown bars to grab a drink the day before Thanksgiving? We asked USA TODAY Company food and dining reporters from across the Midwest, from Michigan to Kentucky to Ohio, for their recommendations. Here are their picks for six of the best bars in the Midwest for Thanksgiving Eve: (If you are planning to celebrate the day before Thanksgiving, keep in mind that binge drinking can cause serious health complications . No matter how much alcohol you consume, arrange for a designated driver, use public transit, or book a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft to make sure you get home safely). Best bars in the Midwest