European Union tariffs on bourbon have been tough for a local distillery to swallow. Those tariffs are in retaliation to United States tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
The owner of Cedar Ridge says it hurt his plans for expansion this year. Jeff Quint planned on exporting to China and Europe this year.
Quint backed out of the Chinese market because of the ongoing trade war. He still shipped to Europe, but he had to lower the prices because companies did not want to take on the 25% tariff slapped on by the European Union.
So for now, he's not expanding his exports until things cool off. "We are really looking forward to a resolution, but I'm not sure it's going to happen anytime soon,” said Quint. “I think it's kind of a situation where the first country to give in may lose, so this could be a long war.”
Quint says he hopes to export to China one day, but he doesn't see the trade war ending anytime soon.
If it continues, he fears people in Europe will begin building their own craft industry. "A lot of countries don't have the problem we have, and I think it's to their advantage in the short term while we're getting this sorted out on the tariff front,” he said.
The good news for bourbon drinkers, Quint doesn't think the trade wars will raise prices here in the states.