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Victor Yarbrough stood in Ky, Little Louisville, Kentucky.
As the co-founder of Brought Brothers Distillery, he was obviously surprised by what was in his inbox. As a polite businessman, he won’t speak out loud.
There were 50 emails in total, most of them negative. Some of them are angry. Some are even clear.
“You’re going to have a full recession in the states with these ridiculous tariffs and talk about state 51st nonsense,” an email said. “I’m just a farmer in Canada, but even if I know it’s Canadian, maybe the world boycott may last four years.”
Another wrote: “The problem with Kentucky is that when you vote, people don’t realize it [you] Get f — d again, “It seems to be the slogan of US President Donald Trump that makes America great again.
Yarborough started emails shortly after appearing in Canadian and U.S. news outlets talking about how tariffs negatively impact his business, Brought Brothers Distillery is the only black-owned bourbon distillery in Kentucky.
“Ultimately, I think from what I’m seeing, it’s not about tariffs, it’s about Canadian sovereignty, and I think that’s what’s really going on in these emails,” Yarbrough said.
He called the content shocking and painful, especially the memories of holidays from years before becoming a father in Toronto.
He said: “I love Canada.”
Canada retaliated with its own tariff package after Trump imposed tariffs on some Canadian goods, with some provinces deciding to pull American alcohol, including Kentucky bourbon, on store shelves.
For Victor Yarborough of Brought Brothers Distillery in Louisville, a fierce trade war between Canada and the United States is affecting the bottom line of Kentucky bourbon makers. But it also entered his inbox in a shocking way.
This is because Yarbrough is in a deal with New Brunswick to expand its sales to Canada. The goal is to export about 10,000 bottles of bourbon to the province this year. Yarborough said the province put the negotiations on hold due to the ongoing trade war.
“These are really strong emails we’re getting and unfortunately…the negative impact on us is, hey, we’re the bad guys here,” Yarbrough told CBC News in an interview with his brewery.
“We’re just stuck in the middle,” he said. “I don’t think the tariffs are good for anyone.”
Canadian sour flavor on American whiskey
Before the trade war officially begins, the Kentucky alcohol industry is facing some trouble. In January, Brown-Forman produced famous bourbon brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserves and Old Forester, announcing that it would cut its global workforce by 12%, including about 200 jobs in one of the Louisville plants it built barrels.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said he feared widespread unemployment could result if there was no solution to the tariff dispute.
“It’s still early, but what we’re seeing is some layoffs in the bourbon industry, [in] He said in an interview with CBC News at the State Capitol in the capital of Frankfort.
He added that they “also see real concerns from our farmers about the amount of food we export around the world.”
Kentucky exported more than $47 billion in U.S. goods last year, with Canada’s largest customers accounting for more than $9 billion of those sales.
Although bourbon is not the highest export, it is a product related to the aerospace industry, it is the country’s most famous spirit. It has become a symbolic target of Canadian revenge.
“The Kentucky governor said don’t touch our bourbon. I said, ‘The governor is the first thing we want to pursue,” said an angry Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford, announcing his response to U.S. tariffs.
“We are the world’s largest bourbon buyers, and for the Kentucky bourbon maker, they’ve done it, they’ve disappeared,” Ford told reporters in early March.
Beshear, a Democrat who opposed the tariffs, said it was not the way he recalled the conversation with Ford.
“Without the masculinity back and forth, we’re both talking about how tariffs will hurt both of our countries,” he said.
Ontario is withdrawing 3,600 U.S. products for Trump’s tariffs, while Doug Ford encourages people to buy Canadian brands.
Beshear said Canada’s response was understandable, but he suggested targeting Kentucky was unfair as many political leaders argued against Trump’s tariff policies.
“I know you’re going to stand up for yourself, that’s what we all do, but strategic,” he said.
“You know that as long as the tariffs respond to all U.S. products don’t differentiate again the differences between those who are hurt by the tariffs and those who blindly support the president.”
“Must be patient”: Trump supporters in Kentucky
Despite its impact on bourbon, it still provides a lot of support for Trump in Kentucky. He won the state in all three presidential competitions, earning nearly 65% of the vote in 2024, up from 62% in 2020 and 2016.
“I love everything he’s doing,” said Ted Jackson, a Louisville-based businessman who sells cigars online and owns a website that sells Trump merchandise.
“I trust President Trump and his team. The idea about tariffs is not something he just dreamed of overnight, there are a lot of discussions, a lot of plans, a lot of reasons.”
Trump has long believed his trade agenda would help rebuild U.S. manufacturing and would set up new factories in the U.S. to avoid paying tariffs. Although he admits that the cost of living may encounter some “disturbance”.
“Eventually, it’s all going to work. There may be some bruises along the way, but he’s trying to do something…he’s working on some issues.”
“The bourbon industry is not going away in Kentucky, people have to be patient and everything will be right in time.”
Trump voters in rural areas of the state have similar attitudes. They are tired of tariffs, but in the long run it will help the economy.
“I think he’s great,” retiree Steve Stinnett spoke to CBC News at Riverside Park in Mead County.
Stingnett said he insisted on his vote even if he might be trapped in a trade war.
“The tariffs that may affect my will be in any future purchases. I hate this situation that will cause American citizens as well as Canadian citizens.”
Retired bartender Sue Troutman said she is willing to bring Trump the benefits of doubt, too.
“If he thinks this can help, there’s more power over him. But he needs to realize that he might hurt some of the American people and other countries,” Troutman said.
She said she also did not regret the vote on Trump, although her enthusiasm was not as good as some Trump supporters.
“When the election comes, he is better than two evils,” she said.
“He said he was going to help the American people. We hope he can do it.”
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