Emperador braces for pain from Trump tariffs

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MANILA, Philippines – The escalating global trade war may cast a long shadow on Emperador Inc., which expects new tariffs to impact its whisky business and potentially dampen optimism at the brandy unit.

Billionaire Andrew Tan-led Emperador said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it had anticipated the whisky environment “to be challenging, especially with the new trade policies from the US.”

Currently, Emperador exports whisky to the United States via Scotland-based Whyte and Mackay, which also operates the high-end brand Dalmore.

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Under his “Liberation Day” tariffs, US President Donald Trump imposed a 10-percent baseline duty on all goods coming from the United Kingdom, including Scotland.

According to Emperador, it will be “keeping a close eye on developments on US tariffs, and its effect on global market dynamics.”

Last year, revenues at Emperador’s whisky segment declined by 1.6 percent to P25.26 billion.

Net profit also dipped by 9.6 percent to P4.51 billion on interest rate and tax expenses.

Emperador previously cited “the tough trading situation in China and in the US” as among the reasons for its weaker Scotch whisky sales, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and North American regions.