With Trade Deal, Canada And Mexico Expected To Lift U.S. Whiskey Tariffs

Following Friday’s announcement that the U.S. will lift its steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico, those two countries are expected to rescind their retaliatory levies on American whiskey, offering relief to U.S. producers whose exports have been hurt by the trade battle.

In response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs of 25% and 10%, respectively, Canada imposed a retaliatory tariff of 10% on all U.S. whiskey imports and Mexico imposed a retaliatory tariff of 25% on U.S. whiskies. The Distilled Spirits Council released export figures from July-December documenting an 11% year-on-year decline for American whiskey exports, following the introduction of tariffs in key countries.

The Distilled Spirits Council hailed the agreements with Canada and Mexico, and said it hopes “the U.S. and our trading partners can build on this positive momentum to resolve all of the remaining retaliatory tariffs that our U.S. distilled spirits exports face, particularly the European Union’s 25% tariff on American Whiskey.” The E.U., which accounts for nearly 60% of U.S. shipments, posted a 13% decline in the second half compared with the year-earlier period.—Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : American whiskey, Canada, Mexico, Tariffs

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