The liquor business is one of many industries facing a period of deep uncertainty amid U.S. President Donald Trump's wave of tariffs. Reuters recently spoke to bar owners, distributors and liquor store owners in California to learn what the tariffs mean for their business, and how they are adapting to the new reality. - REUTERS
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00:00Like many industries affected by Trump's wave of tariffs, the liquor business is facing a period of deep uncertainty.
00:08In Oakland, California, William Choi prides himself on the global flavors available at his bar Viridian.
00:14We definitely use Ming River Baijiu coming out of China, we have cognac from France, we have rum from Barbados, we have whiskey from Japan.
00:24Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump are targeting dozens of countries, including those where Choi sources his spirits.
00:31Imports from the European Union, Japan and Mexico face tariffs between 20 and 25 percent, while those from China have been slapped with the highest rate of all at 145 percent.
00:41It's like riding a roller coaster, you know, one day we're like, OK, well, maybe.
00:45And then the next day it's like right back down. So we're just in a very constant state of flux, I would say.
00:53Ashley Miller sells Ming River brand Baijiu, the Chinese spirit made from sorghum, to bars in Northern California.
01:00Miller says she's concerned about the impact of the tariffs not only on bars, but on Chinese Americans at home, where Baijiu holds an important place at the dinner table.
01:09Not being able to get a hold of Baijiu, again, something that a lot of Chinese people consider as part of every meal that they have.
01:17It's it's a tradition. It's a ritual. And to take that away from people is is very disheartening.
01:23It's it's very upsetting. I'll be honest.
01:25Ming River is considering ways to avoid passing rising costs onto consumers, including adjusting bottle sizes and absorbing costs.
01:33Back at Viridian, Choi says he's already raised prices as high as he can.
01:37Now he'll just have to get creative to stay afloat, like creating a homemade acid solution to replace limes or slightly lowering the amount of alcohol in drinks.
01:46I mean, we're very resilient. We've learned to be. We've had to be.
01:52And so, yes, there's a lot of uncertainty, but I mean, that's that's just the world we live in right now.