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Company behind Jack Daniel's says Canadian boycott is 'significant' as
sales drop 62%
Parent company officials say trade dispute is causing 'significant
headwinds' and 'significant impact'
Richard Woodbury CBC News Posted: Aug 30, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last
Updated: August 30


A Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation employee is shown removing bottles of Jack Daniel's whisky from a store shelf earlier this year after the NSLC pulled American alcohol from its shelves as part of Canada's response to U. S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. (Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation)



The parent company of American alcohol producers such as Jack Daniel's
whisky and Woodford Reserve bourbon says sales to Canada dropped 62 per
cent during the latest fiscal quarter compared to a year ago, as American alcohol remains off the shelves in many provinces.

After U. S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in
early March, a number of provinces retaliated, pulling American alcohol
from store shelves. Alberta and Saskatchewan have since lifted the ban.
During a conference call with investors Thursday, officials with Brown-
Forman the parent company of brands such as Jack Daniel's and Woodford
Reserve noted other pressures, but said the boycott is causing a
"significant impact. "

"While we were encouraged by recent discussions, American spirits products
have been off the shelf in Canada for months, " said Leanne Cunningham, the chief financial officer for Brown-Forman. "This had a significant impact on
our first quarter of fiscal 2026, which will impact our full fiscal year results. "

It's unclear how much the 62 per cent drop in sales translates to in
dollars, but the company's total sales were down three per cent for the quarter.



On the call, company chief executive officer Lawson Whiting said the trade dispute has created "significant headwinds. "

"While our non-U. S. brands such as Diplomatico and El Jimador continued to deliver growth, they were not able to offset the decline of our brands that
are produced in the U. S. , " he said.

'That's a lot of bottles! ': Uncorking the value of American booze pulled
from NSLC shelves

Explicit Canadian emails target bourbon maker as Trump's trade war
intensifies

The Canadian boycott was not brought up much during the conference call.
CBC News listened to the conference call, but was not called upon to ask a question.
A press release issued by the company said net sales in developed
international markets dropped eight per cent because of "macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. "


The U. S. liquor sector is putting economic and political pressure on the
Trump administration as the Canada-U. S. trade deal deadline approaches.
They hope the administration might offer limited carve-outs to their
industry or rethink tariffs altogether.

"The decline was led by lower volumes of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey in Germany and the United Kingdom, along with the absence of American-made
alcohol from retail shelves in most of the Canadian provinces, " it said.
The decrease was largest in Canada, as the U. K. only saw a 16 per cent decrease. It was 10 per cent in Germany.

Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada was removing
retaliatory tariffs on CUSMA-compliant U. S. goods, which included 25 per
cent on American spirits.

Canada a huge market for U. S. spirits
In 2024, Canada was the second-largest market for U. S. spirit exports, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
It welcomed Carney's decision to drop the tariffs, but with a caveat.

"This is a very positive sign, but until all provinces put American
spirits back on their shelves it won't have much of an impact, " the organization said in a press release this week.
"The unfortunate decision to remove American spirits from Canadian retail shelves is not only harming U. S. distillers, but it's also needlessly
reducing revenues for the provinces, and placing unnecessary burdens on Canadian consumers and hospitality businesses. "
The decision to ban American alcohol has meant most Canadian retailers are stockpiling American alcohol.
In Nova Scotia, that's worked out to 587,153 units of product that was
property of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, the province's Crown-run alcohol agency.

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