U.S. whiskey 輸出業者s struggle after year of EU 関税s
By Jonas Ekblom
BRISTOL, Pa., Aug 18 (Reuters) - When Europe's 関税s on U.S. whiskey 攻撃する，衝突する in June 2018, （手先の）技術 distillery Mountain Laurel Spirits LLC lost 10% of its sales 夜通し as its European distributor 簡単に stopped buying its award-winning Dad's Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey.
Foreign 政府s 支配する to U.S. 大統領 Donald Trump's 貿易（する） 関税s have 的d American distilleries and their bourbon and rye whiskeys for 報復. The 産業 恐れるs new 関税s under consideration by the U.S. 政府 could result in even higher 関税s on their 製品s in Europe.
"We went from a marginally profitable 商売／仕事 to breaking even," Mountain Laurel's owner and 化学製品 engineer-turned-distiller, Herman Mihalich, said while 実験（する）ing his 最新の （製品，工事材料の）一回分 of rye whiskey in the sleepy hamlet of Bristol in southeast Pennsylvania.
U.S. whiskey 輸出業者s are struggling to recoup lost sales after 出荷／船積みs to Europe 急落するd 21% between June 2018 and 2019, によれば data from the Distilled Spirits 会議, a U.S. 産業 group.
In the 12 months before the 関税s 攻撃する，衝突する, the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs 輸出（する）d $757 million of rye and bourbon. From July 2018 to June 2019 輸出（する）s were $597 million. 輸出（する）s are a sizeable chunk of sales the U.S. whiskey 産業, which 生成するd $3.6 billion in 歳入 in 2018.
The Distilled Spirits 会議 said that 63% of U.S. whiskey 輸出（する）s have 直面するd 報復の 関税s from the European Union, 中国, Turkey, Canada and Mexico. The EU 現在／一般に 徴収するs 25% 関税s on U.S. whiskey.
The U.S. 貿易（する） 代表者／国会議員's office is 準備するing to 非難する 関税s of up to 100% on $1.8 billion 価値（がある） of European spirits and ワイン in 返答 to 違法な European 援助（する） to planemaker Airbus, the most 最近の 開発 in a 15-year-long 貿易（する） 論争 between Europe and the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs.
"American whiskeys have become collateral 損失," said Chris Swonger, 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of the Distilled Spirits Counci l at an Aug. 6 審理，公聴会 with the U.S. 貿易（する） 代表者／国会議員. He 勧めるd Washington not to introduce the new 関税s because the 産業 恐れるs Europe will introduce even more 関税s in 報復.
The group said that at least 11,200 to 78,600 職業s could be lost in the （水以外の）飲料, alcohol and 歓待 部門s, which 現在／一般に 雇う 2.4 million Americans, if the EU-U.S.-衝突 より悪くするd.
WHISKEY BOOM ENDING
The 関税 war is capping a にわか景気 for U.S whiskey にもかかわらず a 殺到する in 全世界の 需要・要求する for 伝統的に made spirits and cocktails. The Kentucky Distillers 協会 said that the 生産／産物 of Kentucky bourbon, a popular variety of U.S. whiskey, in 2018 reached its highest level - 1.7 million バーレル／樽s - since 1972.
At the Aug. 6 審理，公聴会, Swonger 証言するd that many of the Distilled Spirits 会議's members, 含むing 輸出（する）ing 商売／仕事s from 45 U.S. 明言する／公表するs, have 停止（させる）d 雇うing and 拡大 計画（する）s and seen 利ざやs take a 攻撃する，衝突する because of the 関税s.
One of them is Scott Harris of Catoctin Creek Distilling Co in Virginia, who has thousands of unfilled rye 瓶／封じ込めるs. 心配するd European 需要・要求する never materialized because of the EU 徴収するs, which have 押し進めるd prices too high for most European 消費者s.
The company had hoped that Europe could soak up at least a tenth of its sales and had bought a large 在庫 of European-sized 瓶／封じ込めるs just as the 関税s 攻撃する，衝突する.
Worse, Harris said he cannot do anything with the 700 ml 瓶／封じ込めるs because the U.S. market 義務的な 基準 is 750 ml 瓶／封じ込めるs.
Catoctin Creek's European sales are today の近くに to 無, and the few 瓶／封じ込めるs it does sell are at a 重要な loss because the 会社／堅い does not want to pass on the cost of 関税s to price-極度の慎重さを要する European 顧客s.
"We had one distributor we 調印するd a を取り引きする. He just stopped returning our phone calls," Harris said. "We've been trying very hard to get into the UK and フラン, and we can't get any distributor to talk to us 権利 now."
Several distillers interviewed by Reuters said that 事前の to the 関税s, Scottish or Irish whiskeys were 一般に more expensive in Europe, 燃料ing かわき for cheaper U.S. varieties. But when the 義務s 逆転するd the cost picture, European distributors lost 利益／興味 in American rye and bourbon.
Getting into the European market was "low-hanging fruit," said Amir Peay, owner of James E. Pepper Distilling Co in Lexington, Kentucky. His company had 投資するd "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to break into the European market.
"The way the market is now is 極端に disappointing," Peay said.
In Pennsylvania, Mountain Laurel Spirits has tried to 相殺する sales 拒絶する／低下するs by breaking into new markets in the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs, a far from 平易な 仕事 as each of the 50 U.S. 明言する／公表するs 要求するs an in-明言する／公表する licensed 卸売業者.
While there are exceptions and there are 卸売業者s that operate in several 明言する／公表するs, Mihalich complained that the 契約s often have to be drawn up 50 different ways.
Other foreign markets outside of Europe are often hard to break into and often not 価値（がある） the hefty 投資 for smaller distillers, several companies said.
Large spirit 生産者s have also been 軍隊d to adjust to the 関税s. Brown-Forman Corp, 製造者 of the world's most popular U.S.-made whiskey, Jack Daniels Tennessee whiskey, has lost $125 million 予定 to the European 関税s.
大統領 Lawson Whiting said in June that the company takes the 攻撃する，衝突する "やめる personal" since it produces 60% of all U.S. whiskey.
"It is a 的d 関税 at Brown-Forman," Whiting said. (報告（する）／憶測ing by Jonas Ekblom Editing by David Lawder, Simon Webb and Cynthia Osterman)
