'Worse than tariff': Jack Daniel's maker reacts after Canada pulls US liquor of the shelves

Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman's CEO Lawson Whiting has called Canada's ban on the liquor giant "worse than tariff". Several of Canada's provinces have taken the US liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against Donald Trump's tariff announcement.

Newly elected US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods, following this Canada also announced a massive counter-tariff package valued at $155 billion.

The Canadian provinces also blocked the sales of American liquor in response to tariffs.

Whiting said, "I mean, that's worse than the tariff, because it's literally taking your sales away, completely removing our products from the shelves".

However, he said Canada accounted for only 1 percent of their total sales and that the company could withstand the hit.

Brown-Forman has been reeling from a slowdown in demand led by the US, Canada, and Europe.

The company has taken cost-cutting measures, including workforce reduction.

Notably, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has been ordered to cease the sale of nearly $1 billion worth of US alcohol annually.

British Columbia's Premier David Eby has also ordered removal of Jack Daniels and Tito’s Vodka from shelves.

Similarly, Premier Wab Kinew of Manitoba and Premier Tim Houston of Nova Scotia have also pulled out US-based liquor in February 2025.