Kentucky might get to claim the title of Whiskey Row; however, Tennessee earns the title of the Whiskey Trail. But is it possible the spirit is falling out of favor among drinkers?
On Sept. 2, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey's parent company, Brown-Forman, said demand for alcohol was down, as first reported by Reuters.
Brown-Forman's first quarter of fiscal 2027 ended on July 31, and the company reported that its sales fell 1% to $911 million. Sales decreased 3% compared to the same period the year before.
Although sales were down, the first quarter report said Jack Daniel's Tennessee Blackberry helped offset pressure from lower-selling products like Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Gentleman Jack. The blackberry-flavored whiskey was released
in August 2025.
Why are Jack Daniel's sales down?
There are a couple of reasons fewer people are buying Jack Daniel's, but one of them is that, overall,U.S. residents are drinking less than ever.
A survey released Aug. 20 found that for a second consecutive year, only 54% of Americans said they drink alcohol.
More and more Americans have become concerned with the long-term health consequences of moderate drinking. The survey found that 51% of people considered drinking one or two alcoholic beverages a day to be bad for their health, compared with 27% in 2001.
As more people have become more focused on their health, studies have also found a rise in GLP-1 usage. The number of people on weight-loss drugs increased 140% between 2022 and 2024, according to USA TODAY.
Similar to how GLP-1 drugs can curb food cravings, some research suggests weight-loss drugs can inhibit alcohol cravings and be used to treat people with alcoholism, according to the National Institutes of Health, which could further deter people from drinking.
Trade tension with Canada
The United States and Canada have been at odds over trade, most recently failed negotiations between President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney led to increased tariffs.
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian imports, and Carney said he would match the tariffs "dollar for dollar" in retaliation.
Jack Daniel's was already among the U.S. companies caught in the crossfire of the trade war. It was among the companies whose liquor products were pulled from shelves in multiple Canadian provinces.
The Tennessee whiskey product has been absent from shelves since March 2025, and Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting said it will continue to be unavailable in most of Canada.
"I mean, that's worse than a tariff, because it's literally taking your sales away, (and) completely removing our products from the shelves," Whiting said when Jack Daniel's was first pulled out of Canadian stores.
Where is Jack Daniel's made?
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey says it right there in the name. The liquor is distilled in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and has been for its entire 160-year history.
Located in south-central Tennessee, just north of the Alabama border, Lynchburg has been the home of Jack Daniel's since 1866, when the distillery was initially opened in Cave Spring Hollow. It was the first registered distillery in the U.S., according to the Jack Daniel's website.
From the time of Jack Daniel's inception, it has only stopped whiskey production twice: during Prohibition and again during World War II.
The Jack Daniel Distillery offers tours of the property and provides visitors with an itinerary for spending a day in Lynchburg.
Afton Pratt covers trending and breaking news for The Knoxville News Sentinel and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Is Tennessee whiskey losing ground? Jack Daniel's sales stall as fewer Americans drink
