Manhattan’s only whiskey distillery closed abruptly this month as a recent poll showed drinking nationwide had dropped to an all-time low.
Great Jones Distilling Co., located in a 28,000-square-foot building in Lower Manhattan, closed Oct. 2 after only five years in operation. economic issues. The distillery is owned by New Jersey-based Jose Cuervo distributor Proximo Spirits and offers a restaurant, retail store, speakeasy, tasting room and tours.
“After 5 incredible years, the Great Jones Distilling Co. Visitor Center is closed until further notice,” the website reads. “Great Jones Whiskey will continue to be available for purchase online and at select retailers.”
A spokesperson for Proximo told The Spirits Business that the decision follows a “thorough review of current beverage industry trends, market conditions and the company’s overall business strategy.”
brewery The $21 million renovation, which took six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and complex New York regulations, was supposed to create 100 jobs. Now, 26 existing positions will be laid off effective December 7.
The Great Jones Appears The trend is growing as a Gallup poll in August showed that the United States is experiencing the lowest levels of alcohol consumption since records were first recorded in 1939.
Image source: Gallup
For the second year in a row, 54% of adults said they drink alcohol, the poll showed. Only 13% said they sometimes drink too much, a record low compared with 25% in 2016.
The poll also addressed growing public concerns about the health risks of drinking alcohol. From 2023 to 2025, the number of people who believe alcohol is harmful to health will increase by 14 percentage points. By 2026, 51% of people say that moderate drinking is harmful to health.
Image source: Gallup
Statistics recorded for the first time show that 17% of people – both drinkers and non-drinkers – said they had consumed a non-alcoholic beverage rather than an alcoholic beverage in the past year.
Gallup concluded that alcohol consumption “has changed significantly in recent years as concerns about its health effects have increased” and that “fewer Americans are drinking alcohol, and those who are drinking appear to be drinking less, including switching to non-alcoholic beverages.”
Just this summer, Republic National Distributing Corp. of Grand Prairie, Texas, the second-largest wine and spirits distributor, filed for bankruptcy. In 2022, California-based Hangar 1 Vodka, owned by Proximo, closed its brewery and tasting room to meet “changing business needs.”
Michael Correra, executive director of the Metro Package Store Association, said the alcohol industry is going through a “significant adjustment.”
“Business is collapsing and I think you’re going to see liquor stores closing as well because fewer people are drinking,” he added.