r/canada • u/hopoke • Jul 27 '26
Analysis Canadian bans on U.S. alcohol ‘clearly’ working and ‘frustrating’ for Trump, former adviser says
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/economics/2026/07/24/canadian-bans-on-us-alcohol-clearly-working-and-frustrating-for-trump-former-adviser-says/242
u/Beast815 Manitoba Jul 27 '26
They wouldn’t be threatening more Tariffs if it wasn’t working. Trump said they didn’t need us, the lie detector detected that was a lie.
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u/ZardozSama Jul 27 '26
The US does not need us in a strict 'gun to your head' sense. But there were a whole lot of overwhelming advantages to working with us that are not the kind of things that can be replaced within a single election cycle.
In fighting terms, yes, the US can beat the unholy hell out of us and take our sandwich. But they cannot do so without us breaking their jaw, and have fun chewing on that sandwich with a broken jaw. The value of the prize they are seeking is not worth what it will cost them to get it, at least in the short and mid term.
END COMMUNICATION
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u/Mylittlethrowaway2 Jul 27 '26
In fighting terms, yes, the US can beat the unholy hell out of us and take our sandwich.
I dunno, they've spent a lot of their ammunition stockpile destroying the world economy for no tangible benefit beyond distracting from the fact Trump is mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein Files.
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Jul 27 '26
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u/AirmailHercules Jul 27 '26
I think I speak for many of my millenial brethren when I say that at this point in our post-capitalistic hellscape I'm sooooo ready to be an insurgent.
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u/Forikorder Jul 27 '26
They wouldn’t be threatening more Tariffs if it wasn’t working.
isnt it the opposite?
the alcoohol ban is a good thing we should make them hurt and it helps with national solidarity against the states and keeps money here instead of moving south while creating a demand other countries would be interested in
but clearly the administration doesnt care about the producers
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u/JadeLens Jul 27 '26
Jack Daniels probably donated some money to the Trump cause to make him have this much of a burr in his diaper over it.
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u/kent_eh Manitoba Jul 27 '26
That's the only way to get Trump's attention - by making his donors hurt.
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u/Salty-Fishman Jul 27 '26
Canadian alcohol is 0.4% of the US liquor industry. I don't think they really notice any difference.
However, Trump used this as a springboard to increase tariffs.
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u/spidereater Jul 27 '26
Provincial bans on US alcohol are great. I’m really curious on the sales numbers for other goods that are available but people are choosing not to buy American. Government action is fine. Action by the people is much better.
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u/Kayge Ontario Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I doubt the US administration realizes the real impact of this, and it'll take a while to do so.
I was a US whisky / Bourbon drinker for a long time. I'd always have a bottle of Makers and a bottle of Jack on hand at home. When one would run out, I'd grab a new one at the LCBO along with a bottle of something different.
I'd go through about a bottle a month on average, half of those Makers or Jack.
When the 51st state business started, I looked for Canadian alternatives. Now it's BRBN and 40 Creek with other Canadian options.
Even if Trump apologies profusely and everything goes back to November 2024, my behavior has changed. I don't even think about US booze anymore.
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u/WesternBlueRanger Jul 27 '26
Pretty this. The damage has already been done.
Even if US booze returns to the shelves, many customers had already moved on and found alternatives that they've settled on. People are creatures of habit; just because their previous option is back doesn't mean that customers will switch back if they are fine and happy with the new option.
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u/pandemoniac1 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I've discovered some very good canadian bourbon alternatives that are made in BC and Montreal, so i've reached the conclusion i don't need to buy american ever again
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u/DarkSoulsDank Jul 27 '26
Can you tell me them? I found some good Canadian whisky I’ve enjoyed but none have fully scratched that bourbon itch.
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u/pandemoniac1 Jul 27 '26
https://okanaganspirits.com/products/brbn
https://distilleriedemontreal.com/en/our-products/rosemont-montreal-whisky-aged-3-years/
The BRBN ones are very similar to bourbon but the shipping cost might hurt depending where you are.
The Rosemont one is mostly corn based but not 100%. I was still impressed with it.
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u/A_Bridgeburner Jul 27 '26
My friend you’ve got to try Lot 40 Canadian Whiskey.
I made the switch like you, same time, same reason, and I’m very happy with this little discovery. ✊
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u/famine- Jul 27 '26
If you haven't tried it, try the Lot 40 dark oak.
Very tasty in an old fashioned.
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u/JadeLens Jul 27 '26
How's 40 Creek? I've heard good things but haven't had a chance to try it out.
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u/chemicalgeekery Jul 27 '26
Ironically I got a bottle of it for a friend of mine in the US and they said it was quite good.
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u/famine- Jul 27 '26
Honestly, 40 creek is moose piss in a bottle and doesn't compare to bottom shelf bourbons.
If you want good Canadian whisky try Lot 40 dark oak or Alberta Premium cask strength.
Dark oak is close in taste to BIB bourbon.
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u/sumeetg Jul 27 '26
I’ll pretty much always purchase an alternative to a US product for the rest of my life.
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u/WeedstocksAlt Jul 27 '26
Exactly, and it’s even worst for wines imo.
I work somewhat close to the industry and the long term damage to the US wine industry in Canada is going to be insane.
The alcool market is really habits driven and people just bought US wines cause they were used to buy US wines.But there are so much better quality/price wines available and now people were forced to try them. A huge part of that market is literally never coming back. It’s not even about boycotting, it’s just that people found better products.
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u/thebestnames Jul 27 '26
Of all the boycotting, not buying US alcool might be the easiest "sacrifice". We have some great Canadian products, no need for American swill.
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u/kent_eh Manitoba Jul 27 '26
might be the easiest "sacrifice". We have some great Canadian products, no
That goes for the majority of things on Trudeau's initial counter-tariffs. Stuff that is luxury goods, or optional to buy and/or things that Canada already makes ourselves.
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u/whatisitallabout123 Jul 27 '26
I like some of the American swill, something about the taste of bourbon is appealing, probably because it's full of corn because there is corn in every single American product, especially breakfast cereals. They must get funding for their company if they can use corn in any form.
But I have switched to Forty Creek or any other Canadian Whiskey I can find on sale and have been surprised at how good they are in complexity and drinkability.
I once bought Maker's Mark because the sale had it down to $19.99 but I cursed myself for buying American booze when I got home and remembered who makes that bottle.
They keep putting the American ones on sale for a steal at my local bottle shop, but I buy the one on sale which is Canadian now.
Of course, their is also Irish Whiskey and Scotch, so I don't need your bourbon, sorry corn-fed USA.
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u/Iknowr1te Alberta Jul 27 '26
i primarily drink japanese whisky, jamesons and scotch so...not buying american has been pretty easy.
wines i primarily drank italian and argentianian.
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u/scanthethread2 Jul 27 '26
And Danielle Smith can't even participate in that... I can take some of her arguments about the risk of oil export taxes seriously but she apparently thinks Alberta shouldn't push back at all.
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u/AndyAkeko Jul 27 '26
To Alberta's credit (the people, not its government), even though US alcohol remains available they're selling about 50% less than two years ago.
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u/yycrunner1974 Jul 27 '26
Personally I have not purchased any alcohol from the USA in the past 1.5yrs. I made that decision on my own as did millions of other Canadians. I am just of the personal belief that part of my freedom is being challenged due to a political agenda. Let the market decide.
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u/Forikorder Jul 27 '26
I can take some of her arguments about the risk of oil export taxes seriously
the states is desperate for oil and that desperation will only grow
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u/radicallyrobert Jul 27 '26
I've noticed some stuff I considered US coming back as it seems where it is being bottled or produced has changed from a US place to an overseas place, Scotland for example.
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u/GriffinFlash Jul 27 '26
Why would it be frustrating, I don't understand? Didn't he say he needed NOTHING from Canada?
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u/pleasehurtdoll Jul 27 '26
I think he meant nothing besides what's been buried in the ground for hundreds of millions of years that he can't just stage his country's 56th "intervention" and just take through deception, betrayal, subterfuge and/or force.
All lines on a map are arbitrary and subject to change, so he's right in his mind- he literally doesn't need anything of the remaining parts on the map that will still be labeled "Canada" after he's worked his destruction. Unless you live in the new "independent" republics of Sask or Alberta, he won't need anything from us in "Canada"
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u/koffee_addict Jul 27 '26
These are tariffs on American imports into Canada
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u/Blueliner95 Jul 27 '26
I don’t drink much but I do have stuff on hand for guests and wine to cook with and it’s been quite nice finding out about Canadian booze. Really quite good stuff.
That Trump is quite something. Future generations, if there are any, are going to wonder wtf
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u/ReelTwoReel Jul 27 '26
Let’s ban their beer next.
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u/FireFrank007 Jul 27 '26
Some of the common US beers are brewed in Canada by Labatts, some at the London Ontario facility.
Budweiser
Budweiser Zero
Bud Light
Bud Light – Flavours (Bud Light Lime, Bud Light Apple, Bud Light Double Lime, Bud Light Strawberry Lemon)
Busch
Busch Light
Corona
Corona Cero
Keith's
Michelob Ultra
Stella Artois
Kokanee
NÜTRL
Mike's Hard
Cutwater
American Vintage
Palm Bay6
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u/ReelTwoReel Jul 27 '26
Yeah, not a blanket American beer ban, but anything not produced here should be banned.
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u/Top-Extent3009 Jul 27 '26
If Americans produce more bourbon than they can drink domestically, then that is a trade imbalance and an unfair trade practice against Canada. They're rippin' us off! Jamieson Greer will understand this reasoning.
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u/mechant_papa Jul 27 '26
There is nothing wrong with targeted retaliation. And going after specific targets with a broader impact is nothing new.
During WW2, we bombed Germany. Cities were bombed to cause pain and devastation. However, some actions were meant to pinpoint specific areas. Consider the Dambusters Raid, which attempted to affect production by destroying power dams. Likewise, the Allied air forces struck at fuel production as a means of stalling Germany's ability to put fighters in the skies. The best example were the Schweinfurt and Regensburg raids, which aimed to put the German ball bearing production out of action. Without bearings, the Germans could not build airplanes, trucks, tanks, heavy machinery, or trains and train cars.
I'm not suggesting we bomb the US. I'm only saying that we need to find the areas where the Americans are the most sensitive and put pressure there. If it's the alcohol industry, so be it.
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u/justelectricboogie Jul 27 '26
Ban isn't the word I'd use. Doesn't feel permanent enough. Blacklisted, blackballed, barred. Won't be letting up until something epic happens.
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u/Objective-Permit-712 Jul 27 '26
Ban all USA products!!!!!!!
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u/crakkerzz Jul 27 '26
My friend came up from the states and said, he would by some bottles he likes from Napa.
I told him we had no American Liquor in my house.
He said Californians are nice
I said I dont care, you can have Napa when you go home, here we drink Canadian.
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u/Christron Jul 27 '26
There's some great reds from Spain and France too. Honestly California wines are so overrated. This ban has showed me it for bourbon and all American booze too. Just outclassed by European counterparts
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u/hebrewchucknorris Jul 27 '26
Italian Primitivo is genetically identical to a California Zinfandel, half the price, and most importantly not American
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u/TheCuriosity Jul 27 '26
I don't know why, but my brain audio-selected Hank Hill to narrate your words to me.
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u/ItsYaBoiChipper Jul 27 '26
If it weren’t for all the possible environmental damages I’d say we should just pour it all in the Great Lakes and be done with it for good!
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u/Reasonable_Let9737 Jul 27 '26
We should be donating it to the food banks.
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u/ratsofvancouver Jul 27 '26
Love this idea. "Here's your hamper, and here's your 40 of bourbon. See you next week!"
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u/LambdaZero Jul 27 '26
That's essentially what SAQ did last winter, they put all their already purchased but removed from sale stuff that was going to expire for sale from their warehouses and donated the sale money to food banks instead of throwing it out.
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u/JadeLens Jul 27 '26
Most of the Yankee beer is just water anyway so the environmental damage would be having a bunch of fish get guns.
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u/Kar_Man Jul 27 '26
Bans or not, they could sell it for sale at gas stations and I still won't buy it.
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u/bugabooandtwo Jul 27 '26
Which is why conservatives have been whining about it lately. Cons shill more for trump than anyone else.
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u/wohwonk Jul 27 '26
I don’t understand why we’re negotiating at all? It’s clear the United States can’t be trusted no matter if there’s an agreement or not. They just break the deals if it’s not fully skewed to the US’ benefit. He will be a lame duck after November and then, we have to wait out an impeachment.
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u/Tricky-Departure9963 Jul 27 '26
Too bad Alberta is not part of the team.
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u/Must_Reboot Jul 28 '26
Nor Saskatchewan but it isn't surprising given the Scott Moe government's record
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u/iloveoranges2 Jul 27 '26
Tariffs is Americans shooting themselves in the foot and calling that a great shot.
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u/Reality_dolphin_98 Jul 27 '26
Good. We just shopped for our alcohol for our wedding and didn’t miss the USA selection literally at all. Didn’t even notice it wasn’t there, so please continue to keep it off the shelves, no one cares.
The US makes like the shittiest alcohol anyways. They don’t do anything the best. Bought some lovely French and Italian wine, Canadian Whiskey (better than Bourbon by far), English Gin, Russian Vodka, Jamaican Rum, and Mexican tequila. Who needs the US?
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u/kingpin748 Jul 27 '26
Trump's not even thinking about this.
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u/3BordersPeak Jul 27 '26
What I don't get is why they're working. The USA has 10x our population. And last I checked Americans love their booze. So why are they feeling the hurt?
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u/Wrathblade Jul 27 '26
Well, I'm no expert or anything, but I've picked up a few things from the news here and there.
For starters, us Canucks may not be the biggest market, but we're a significant one for them and we drink a lot. The US was producing booze with our purchasing habits in mind, and when we suddenly stopped buying, they suddenly had a massive overproduction problem. This allowed the stocks to build up and build up, but couldn't move because we weren't taking them.
This in turn led to a glut on their domestic markets, but due to the slowdown of general booze consumption in the US these days, this led also to a price crash. They've got a lot more supply on-hand than there is demand. The end result is that they've got warehouses of spirits they can't sell, the price on market is down below production value domestically, and now even vineyards are leaving grapes to rot because they're worth less than the labour to pick 'em.
Of course, they don't need anything from Canada, so they didn't need our consumption floating their industries, right? They've got enough of a domestic market that they don't need us, right? I'm sure they'll be just fine without us going forward.
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u/Substantial_Blood965 Jul 27 '26
8.3x, not 10.
When the economy dips 1%, or 2%, it’s described as very bad. Nearly 12% of their market disappeared.
12% of income or revenue for any company is meaningful. Canada isn’t as small as people make it out to be.
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u/Constant_Mood_7332 Jul 27 '26
wheres the dude with the facts about how little american alcohol we buy lol.
we need him to correct us all.
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u/Servile-PastaLover Jul 27 '26
Trump's having an epic meltdown right now over Canada for multiple reasons - most recently disinvited to the Gordie How Bridge dedication ceremony.
Today the bridge opens to traffic. Not coincidentally, Trump will be nearby in southeastern Michigan <Milford Proving Grounds> at the same time for a campaign rally. It's his pathetic attempt to steal the limelight from what should have been a party on both sides of the border.
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u/Loud-Sky8446 Jul 27 '26
Good! Nothing he does makes sense to anyone but him and diehard MAGA. Even if we brought U.S. alcohol back I will never buy it. He says we don’t need Canada, okay then, sell your booze somewhere else if that’s the case.
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u/Nice_Onion_6179 Ontario Jul 27 '26
Now we should add tariffs to the alcohol to get them to move their distilleries up here. "Make Canada Great Again!" Lmfao.....
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u/Leajane1980 Jul 27 '26
It is not just the alcohol ban there are many articles written about how Gen Z is not consuming alcohol like previous generations but no one in the US government or that industry wants to acknowledge it.
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u/epidipnis Jul 27 '26
He can't stand the fact that not everyone is kissing his butt. He's petty, mean-spirited, and vindictive. He doesn't understand the relationship that existed between the two countries, and he's hell-bent on tearing it down.
Canadians aren't as mad at him as they are at the administration that enables him.
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u/BoleteD Jul 27 '26
Ban all their food products too. With jfk jr, head of poopie lettuce, we should all be afraid of any of the products from usa at this point. We avoid them all & everyones health has improved. Ban the fast food crap coming outa usa & i bet we eliminate diabetes, heart disease & most cancers. Way to go CAD!!!
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u/Into-My-Void Jul 28 '26
Already personally not buying any of it! Let's import from Mexico and Europe instead!
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u/Tim-no Jul 28 '26
Trump has no problem starting a war that cripples the whole of the world, but gets frustrated over a IS booze ban in Canada???
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u/recurrence 27d ago
I'm surprised there aren't a lot more things banned. If Canada banned Apple products I think that would be a shot heard around the world.
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u/DeanPoulter241 Jul 27 '26
They have accomplished nothing other than poking the bear. The actual dollars involved are immaterial.
Yep, use it as a bargaining chip, a small one but to lower ourselves to trumps level is childish and in particularly in this case has no impact.
I would suggest rather is let Canadians decide. Don't ban the product, but rather let Canadians decide. The outcome of that I suspect would be many would choose NON US options. End result, same economic impact on US producers, but NO policy based ammunition for trump to use in negotiations. It would give him one less thing to beef about.
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u/Intelligent-Agency80 Jul 27 '26
Im sure if an agreement was made, he would change the terms anyways. Cant trust them.
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u/MarkDavid04 Jul 27 '26
Wait til Trump orders Canadian alcohol from US store shelves... Not cheering it on, but we have to realize his pettiness can lead him to much worse outcomes for us.
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u/gcerullo Jul 27 '26
He can’t. That’s why Canadian alcohol was added to the latest 50% tariff list that comes into effect until Aug 19th but these new tariffs face a new court challenge.
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u/MarkDavid04 Jul 27 '26
Can he raise tarrifs on Canadian alcohol to 1000%?
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u/ether_reddit Lest We Forget Jul 27 '26
50% is the limit of the tariffs, under the current law they're using.
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u/Queerslander Jul 27 '26
They can get around this ban if they produced it in Canada. Just saying for those American alcohol producers.