Now, Europe’s infatuation with Kentucky bourbon and other U.S. spirits is threatened by the potential 50% tariff — double the previous levy — that would inflict “irreparable harm to distillers large and small,” said Chris Swonger, the council’s CEO.

Distilleries in the heart of America's bourbon industry are finding themselves in the crosshairs of a brewing trade war between the U.S. and Canada.

"It’s extremely frustrating,” said Brough Brothers Distillery CEO Victor Yarbrough, who started the Louisville distilling company with his brothers. “We are collateral damage.”