Exports Of Tennessee Whiskey Wither Under Trump Trade War

By Richard Thomas

According to a new report from Middle Tennessee State University, the Trump Trade War has resulted in a substantial slump in exports for Tennessee’s whiskey companies.

Although China’s trade practices are often criticized by prominent figures in both the Democratic and Republican parties, President Trump launched his trade war last year by slapping tariffs on key allies and trading partners as well as China. In a retaliatory move, widely seen as targeted pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, almost every country effected by Trump’s first round of tariffs placed tariffs of their own on American whiskey exports.

America’s second largest whiskey industry, after Kentucky’s, is found in Tennessee, the home of Jack Daniel’s. In the 4th quarter of 2018 alone, whiskey exports from the Volunteer State dropped 5%. At Jack Daniel’s, this was partially offset by a 3% sales gain overall, but the same cannot be said for Tennessee’s other whiskey producers, some of whom were just beginning to find overseas markets for their products. The export value lost to the state in the previous year was some $60 million.