The CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States on Wednesday warned that a European whiskey tariff would be “very, very devastating.” “We’ve just gotten the news early, early this morning,

Trump said he would up the ante after the E.U. imposed its own 50% tax on American whiskey, a move that itself was a response to the White House tariff on European steel and aluminum.

The US spirits industry is bracing for pain after the European Union targeted American whiskey in retaliation against President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump, vowed a new escalation in his trade war if the EU goes forward with the planned 50% tax on American whiskey.

Pan-European trade body SpiritsEurope said it was “extremely concerned” by the EU’s decision to line up tariffs on US spirits.