Distillers cheer deal with Canada, Mexico

American whiskey producers feeling the pain from the Trump administration’s trade disputes have gotten a shot of relief with an agreement that will end retaliatory tariffs Canada and Mexico slapped on whiskey and other U.S. products.

The whiskey industry hailed the arrangement to ease trade tensions among the North American allies. American distillers have suffered shrinking exports since the last half of 2018 due to tariffs in key markets.

President Donald Trump on Friday lifted import taxes on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum and delayed auto tariffs that would have hurt Japan and Europe. In return, the Canadians and Mexicans agreed to scrap their retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including American whiskey.

But U.S. whiskey-makers still face significant trade hurdles in the European Union, the industry’s biggest export market.