A boycott of U.S. distilled spirits by several Canadian provinces has driven a 66.3% plunge in American liquor sales between March 5 and the end of April, according to analysis released by industry body Spirits Canada on Tuesday. The pull-back also weighed on the broader market, with total spirits sales in Canada falling 12.8% during the period. The provinces removed U.S. whiskey, bourbon and other products from government-run liquor stores after President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on select imports and threatened to raise duties on Canadian goods to 35% from August 1. Spirits Canada said Ontario, the country’s largest spirits market, saw an 80% drop in U.S. spirit sales; Alberta and Saskatchewan have since reversed their bans. Spirits Canada Chief Executive Cal Bricker warned that the highly integrated North American supply chain is being disrupted, hurting distillers, hospitality businesses and provincial revenues on both sides of the border. U.S. tariffs remain suspended on Canadian-made spirits that qualify under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, but the trade group cautioned that an escalating tariff dispute could deepen losses for producers and consumers alike.
Sales of U.S. spirits in Canada plunge 66%, industry groups say https://t.co/IHcciY8obr https://t.co/cp1hVg0l2Q
Canadian provinces' boycott of U.S. spirits amid a trade dispute with the United States has caused a sharp drop in sales of American imports, as well as other imported and domestic spirits across the nation, a Canadian liquor trade group said on Tuesday. https://t.co/Og26E1LTua
Canadian boycott of US spirits hurts broader alcohol sales, trade group says https://t.co/rYWnZPnPRD https://t.co/rYWnZPnPRD