President Trump Just Announced a New 50% Tariff on Canadian Whisky, Beer, and More Goods

In another escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and Canada, President announced a new 50 percent tariff on Canadian exports earlier this week—and that includes . It appears that, for the time being, any hopes of our neighbor to the north returning the bourbon and American rye that it banned last year to liquor store shelves seem to have been dashed.

On Monday, Trump unveiled that hefty levy on a wide array of goods from Canada, including hockey equipment, honey, down feathers, plywood, cowhides, wine, beer, and . The , which are set to go into effect on August 19, are a response to Canadian tariffs on American auto parts, which in turn are a response to the initial round of levies the Trump administration imposed last year. That led to most Canadian provinces banning the sale of American booze as of March 2025 (only Alberta and Saskatchewan have lifted their bans). Just last week, Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney proposed the enactment of the CANADA Act (“Combating Attacks on our National Alcoholic Drinks by Allies”) to investigate this matter.

“The United States, U.S. businesses and workers, and U.S. commerce suffer from the Canadian provinces’ and territories’ unreasonable and unequal impositions and discriminations with respect to U.S. alcoholic beverages,” read the administration’s statement. “Comparing the period from March 2025 through February 2026 to the same period in 2024-2025, Canadian imports of U.S. alcoholic beverages decreased by approximately 81 percent (from approximately $718 million to approximately $137 million).”

American distilleries and alcohol brands are clearly not pleased with this development, as they have been feeling the effects of that dramatic drop in sales to what was once one of the market’s biggest consumers. That sentiment was echoed by the Distilled Spirits Council, which issued a statement from its president, Chris Swonger, earlier this week. He expressed appreciation for the government’s recognition of the alcohol industry’s troubles, but decried the escalation. “Imposing a 50% tariff on imported spirits from Canada deepens trade tensions and raises the risk of further retaliation at a time when many U.S. hospitality businesses continue to face financial hardships,” he said. “We encourage policymakers on both sides of the border to pursue a negotiated solution that restores market access for U.S. spirits and avoids further harm to the U.S. hospitality sector.”

There has been some response from Canada, but so far it seems to be a bit on the meager side. According to The Hill, plans to participate in an opening ceremony for a new bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit have been canceled. The premier of British Columbia David Eby said there’s “not a chance in hell” that U.S. booze will return to shelves there, one sign of unwillingness to capitulate. But Canadian trade group Spirits Canada urged engagement with the U.S. to try to remove the tariffs. Whether that tactic will work or not remains to be seen. So far, the tariffs are still set to take effect next month, but we will update you with any about the situation.

Jonah Flicker

Flicker is currently Robb Report's whiskey critic, writing a weekly review of the most newsworthy releases around. He is a freelance writer covering the spirits industry whose work has appeared in…