The Trump administration has announced a ban on most alcoholic beverages from Canada in the latest escalation in an ongoing trade war between the neighbouring nations.

The import bans, which largely replace the 50% tariffs imposed last month, are due to take effect on 29 September 2026 and are set to include beer, wines, cider, whiskies, vodka and other spirits.

On Monday 7 September, Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney announced “dollar for dollar” retaliatory tariffs on US imports worth CA$27.6 billion.

At present, there is a bulk exception to certain alcohol products, with Canadian whisky and liqueurs in containers larger than four litres absent from the 29 September prohibition list.

A proclamation from president Donald Trump read: “I found as a fact that Canada is discriminating in fact against the commerce of the United States by banning the purchase, distribution, or retailing of US alcoholic beverages while not banning or similarly restricting such products from other countries.

“Except as otherwise provided in this proclamation, certain alcoholic beverages that are products of Canada are excluded from importation into the United States.”

These new sanctions from the White House are the latest actions in an 18 month trade dispute that began when Canadian provinces and territories began removing US alcohol from shelves in retaliation to US trade measures.

In July of this year, Trump imposed an additional 50% tariff explicitly citing the provincial alcohol restrictions.

Later, negotiations broke down between the two trade partners, leading to the 50% tariffs coming into force on 22 August.

This new development is a major blow to Canadian producers. According to Spirits Canada, in 2025 the country exported $948.6m of spirits to the United States, accounting for approximately 93% of the total value of Canadian spirits exports.