U.S. spirit exports to Canada fell 85% in the second quarter of 2025

Canadian businessman and Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary is blaming the trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada for the temporary closure of a Jim Beam distillery.

Jim Beam, one of the largest makers of American whiskey globally, announced it will halt production at its Clermont, Kentucky, distillery for one year, starting on January 1, 2026. The bourbon whiskey brand plans to “invest in site enhancements” during the closure, according to a statement.

The announcement comes as U.S. spirit exports to Canada are declining, with many Canadians boycotting American liquor in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his suggestion that the nation should be the 51st state.

  • lemmy_outta_here@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    Suggestion? It was a fucking threat. The USA is not a friend or ally. the USA has no friends or allies, by their own choice.

  • Eldritch@piefed.world
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    2 days ago

    I still feel bad for the people. But we are fully in the finding out period now. Hopefully they choose to not continue to fuck around.

    • Hylactor@sopuli.xyz
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      1 day ago

      Even if we get the 37% or so of truly burdensome people out of intellectual debt, the best we can seemingly hope for is ~45 years before the entire nation forgets all of the hard lessons it learned and insists on relearning them again.

      Here’s the progression: unignorable calamity (inspiration, debt) > society bands together (creation, true wealth) > conspicuously wealthy take unfair advantage (consumption, illusion of gains) > unignorable calamity, ad infinitum. Or to simplify: conservatives break things, liberals fix things, and neither learn a lesson.

      • Eldritch@piefed.world
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        1 day ago

        Republicans haven’t spent the last half century attacking public education to no result. It was purposeful that they created the memory hole. Complacency kills.

    • circuscritic@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Yes and no.

      The tariffs stoked tension so much so that Canadians have been boycotting American produced alcohol, and bourbons were some of the first products targeted due to their proximity to Mitch McConnell (Kentucky).

      Mr. Wonderful is still a piece of shit though.

  • Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    We need a song. “Blame Trump” The tune from South Parks “Blame Canada” Just doesn’t work well with blame trump but some the lyrics are spot on.

    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      The tune from South Parks “Blame Canada” Just doesn’t work well with blame trump but some the lyrics are spot on.

      For the chorus, instead of the 4 syllable line of of “Blame Can-a-da” substitute"Blame don-ald-trump".