Trade war with Canada has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales

Jim Beam, one of the largest makers of American whiskey globally, is shutting down bourbon production at one of its Kentucky distilleries for a year.

The move comes amid Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, which has contributed to a significant decline in U.S. liquor sales after the country ushered in a boycott of American booze, and as more young adults are cutting back on drinking.

Jim Beam, owned by Suntory Global Spirits, is one of Kentucky’s biggest bourbon producers.

The Bluegrass state’s $9 billion whiskey bourbon industry has been struggling to manage its abundant supply of liquor against the drop in demand.

  • JollyBrancher@sh.itjust.works
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    22 days ago

    Anecdotally, I know some folks who work under the UAW. Before/after a recent round of significant layoffs because of these big, beautiful tariffs, even the union leadership was spouting off how manufacturing would return to the US within years and it would be “worth it.” Some of the workers who already didn’t want to jump in bed with Trump ate it up. You would think at least leadership in a massive union overseeing any manufacturing/production would at least understand how this was a bad move for their whole organization, but here we are.

      • JollyBrancher@sh.itjust.works
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        20 days ago

        Always glad to have an opportunity to understand another country’s healthcare system and it’s inner-workings. Appreciate it 🤙🏻 I remember right-wing people in USA Air Traffic Control would bring up Canada’s ATC system and workers, and I would just always bring up retirement/benefits for the differences in pay and how we paid for them anyway - and less efficiently. Plus I’m quite certain their guaranteed workers’ protections were better than what we got from the union directly (not USA union bashing at all - just strictly the bennies in comparison).

    • plyth@feddit.org
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      21 days ago

      Why should tariffs not work? What else could bring back manufacturing?