Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. in Purcellville, Virginia is working to boost its international deals, but looming threats of tariffs are already impacting business.
PURCELLVILLE, Va. — If you ask Scott Harris, getting to work on whiskey every day is a far cry from his days as a government contractor. Since opening Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in Purcellville, Virginia with his wife 16 years ago, Harris has been working to expand internationally, but it appears his vision is happening during the wrong administration.
President Donald Trump argues he wants to improve the U.S. economy by imposing tariffs on some of the nation’s biggest partners, including Canada and Mexico. He agreed to pause his tariff threats for 30 days as negotiations continue.
However, the plan to boost American production by cracking down on international competition is sowing doubt among business leaders, distributors and importers.
“In the past year-and-a-half, about 18 months, we’ve been reinvesting …