President Donald Trump enacted a tariff Thursday on steel and aluminum, despite the fact that his economic advisers are against it, the international community is making threats, and even Paul Ryan has voiced his opposition. But now, Esquire reports that the tariff is hitting everyday Americans where it really hits: the bar. The maker of Jack Daniels (as well as 16 other liquor brands) is not happy. After Trump announced his plan, the CEO of Brown-Forman, which makes Jack Daniels, said his company would be an “unfortunate and unintended victim. And of course, we’re sharing our point of view in Washington as well.” The company does not rely on steel and aluminum from other countries to make whiskey, but it does rely on drinkers around the world to buy the product. Europe is Brown-Forman’s second-biggest market. And because of Trump’s tariff, they may have lost their pipeline to Tennessee whiskey fans in Europe. In retaliation to Trump’s tariff, the E.U. has proposed its own retaliatory tariffs on American-made products, such as orange juice, peanut butter, chewing tobacco, and yes, U.S. whiskey. Losing out on the E.U. market will most likely make whiskey prices in America rise, and also threatens America jobs.
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