One of the founders of Kentucky’s Brough Brothers Distillerty, Victor Yarbrough, has been receiving hate mail from Canadians amid the ongoing US-Canada tariff war. The Kentucky company was in the middle of negotiations with the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation when the tariff war between the two countries flared up forcing them to press pause on their Canadian explanation. American liquor. including Kentucky bourbon, was one of the first things that were removed from the shelves in Canadian stores as Canada retaliated against the US tariff.
“You are heading for a full recession in the states with these moronic tariffs and talk of the 51st state bulls**t,” says one email. “I’m just a farmer here in Canada but even I know this Canadian and probably world boycott could last four years.”
“Kentucky’s problem is that people don’t realize that when you vote republican [you] get f**ked again,” one email said.
In an interview with Canada’s CBC News, Yarbrough said he loves Canada and has years of fond memories of vacationing in Canada. But now his inbox is full of expletives. “Ultimately I think from what I’ve seen — it’s not really about tariffs, it’s more about the sovereignty of Canada, I think is what’s really coming through in these emails,” said Yarbrough.
“These are really strong emails that we get and, unfortunately … the negative implication for us is that, hey, we are the bad guys here,” Yarbrough said. “We’re just stuck in the middle,” he said. “I think tariffs aren’t good for anyone.”
Kentucky exported more than $ 47 billion worth of goods last year, with Canada its largest customer, accounting for more than $9 billion of those sales. Bourbon is not its top export but Kentucky is best known for this and it became a symbolic target for Canadian retaliation.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford who led Canada’s retaliation against the US tariff announced in March that bourbon will be the main target. “We’re the largest purchaser of bourbon in the world, for Kentucky bourbon manufacturers, they’re done, they’re gone,” Ford said a month ago.