Brown-Forman could become “an unfortunate and unintended victim” of the tariffs, Paul Varga, CEO, said during an earnings conference call.
“The overwhelming majority of our products are made here in America and over the last few years, I’d just cite, we’ve been investing heavily in our American manufacturing expansion.”
The whiskey and bourbon industries are key economic forces in Kentucky and Tennessee.
In 2015, whiskeys exported from Tennessee were valued at $691 million, ranking as one of the state’s top exports. The Volunteer State is home to 30-plus distilleries, although only a few of those export outside the U.S., including Jack Daniel’s and George Dickel.