India, Aug. 5 -- It seems the smooth pour of Kentucky whiskey has hit a rough patch, and Jack Daniel's parent company, Brown-Forman, appears to have sensed it coming.

Just this January, the Louisville-based spirits giant announced that it's cutting 12% of its global workforce and shutting down its very facility where it's been handcrafting barrels since 1945. The decision, expected to impact around 210 employees, is to save between $70 million and $80 million annually.

Following Jack Daniel's exit, the message is clear: the whiskey business isn't what it used to be.

The company explained that it will now source barrels from external suppliers, expecting to bring in over $30 million by selling off its cooperage assets. Brown-Forman also...