Several Canadian provinces took action this week in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on Canadian products by pulling alcohol, including the Jack Daniel’s whiskey, off the shelves.
This “is worse than tariffs,” said Brown-Forman, the company that makes Jack Daniel’s. Specifically, the company’s CEO, Lawson Whiting, said the Canadian response was “disproportionate” to the 25% levies on Canadian goods imposed by the Trump administration.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), one of the world’s largest buyers of alcohol, decided to completely remove U.S.-made spirits from its shelves on Tuesday, according to the BBC.
In response to the tariffs, Canada retaliated with 25% levies on products imported from the U.S., including beer, spirits and wine.
Some provinces have also taken action of their own, including Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of alcohol annually from the U.S.
“As of today, every single one of those products is off the shelves,” Ford said Tuesday.
The LCBO is the exclusive wholesaler in Ontario, which means other retailers, such as bars and restaurants in the province, will no longer be able to stock U.S. products, Ford said.
But Whiting said Canada accounts for only 1% of Brown-Forman’s total sales, which means the company can weather the blow.
The LCBO advises Canadians to buy products made in Canada. Some Canadians are already turning to local products in response to Trump’s tariffs.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the U.S. tariffs on Tuesday, calling them “a very stupid thing to do.”
He also accused the U.S. president of plotting “a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that would make it easier to annex us.”
The Jack Daniel’s CEO said Brown-Forman is also looking at what’s happening in Mexico, which accounted for 7% of its sales in 2024.
It’s happening. Good bye @JackDaniels_US — being removed from @LCBO as we speak @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/7Vw9HICX7y
— Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) March 4, 2025
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