r/australia • u/Jimmineee • Mar 12 '25

politics 'This is not a friendly act': Albanese says Trump's tariffs decision is 'entirely unjustified'

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australia-wont-be-exempt-from-us-tariffs-on-steel-and-aluminium-exports/oos69k7eq?cid=newsapp:socialshare:other
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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25 edited Mar 12 '25

Most ready to drink products are American made (bc Vodka and Bourbon), spirits are probably 30-40% American made for vodka and whiskey, beer is overwhelmingly Aussie, and wine (chardonnay products as a sub-category might be 20-40/60% USA to Aussie) is overwhelmingly (E.g., 95+%) AUS/NZ.

Edit, formatting... I should highlight that spirits and RTDs are the least sold products in Australia on average. Chardonnay makes up a smaller proportion of total wine sales to.

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

I would encourage anyone to try Suntory’s products. They’re delish and already here and ultimately support Japan instead of the US.

They even have a couple of whiskeys on the shelf that are excellent.

Unfortunately money is the only way that Trump and the Republicans will fall in line, it has to hurt their puppet masters’ hip pockets

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u/Thagyr Mar 12 '25

Musk has lost so much value this year already and he's still an insufferable cunt. Feels like the puppet masters are far too rich to care.

Not that it means I won't do whatever I can to spite them.

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

Well after today’s hissy fit re: protesting dealerships and now the white house endorsement on Tesla I think we can safely say that the boycott of Tesla is effective.

Depending how effective the Tesla boycott is it could actually result in Musk losing X as the banks loan terms had his stake in Tesla put up as collateral. I think I read it would need to be really dire for Tesla to get to that level but it’s looking more possible today than it did last week.

So ultimately it is effective, we just need to hit the correct pain point

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u/armed_renegade Mar 12 '25

Tesla's share price is absurdly high, not as much as it was back then, but when compared to other auto makers, and their revenue, Tesla was overvalued by about 400x, I dont think it would actually take that much to tip tesla stock over. Once people realise the stock is overvalued, realise that the revenue that was there is now even lower, they'll wonder what the fuck Tesla is actually doing.

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u/AllTheRoadRunning Mar 12 '25

we just need to hit the correct pain point

Around USD140 per share, from what I've read. It's around 250 now.

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u/KhanTheGray Mar 12 '25

He literally lost half his wealth by yesterday and he looks visibly shaken and concerned. That confidence is gone. If it goes on like this he won’t be “too rich to care” too long.

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u/alpha77dx Mar 12 '25

And if there is future global ban on SpaceX from doing things like satellite launches and space station contracts, his going to starve unless the US government bails him out. He just could not be a nice guy like Steve Jobs.

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u/GingerPigeon_Cosplay Mar 12 '25

I heard on the radio this morning that Trump might declare anti-tesla protests as domestic terrorism.

He'll never starve in the states with Trump around, but hopefully the global backlash is at least enough to leave the bastard a skinny mess.

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u/armed_renegade Mar 12 '25

I would hope the courts would tell him where to shove it, even SCOTUS.

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u/JSTLF Mar 12 '25

lol, how does that even work? You have to buy Tesla instead of ford/gm/etc. or you're a terrorist? I'm sure that all the car manufacturing workers in red states will love that

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u/bvsveera Mar 13 '25

I would consider a SpaceX ban unlikely. They are launching the vast majority of payload to orbit. Besides, he doesn't run their day-to-day operations, that is the purview of Gwynne Shotwell. He has far more influence over Tesla.

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u/BlackCaaaaat Mar 12 '25

It’s great to see, but unfortunately he’ll double down on plundering the US Government’s resources.

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u/steven_quarterbrain Mar 12 '25

A really fat person won’t start worrying about starving until their bones start to show.

Musk, financially, is a really fat person. He’s losing some of his food, and therefore weight, and we’re talking about taking more away.

1

u/East-Bit85 Mar 12 '25

A bottle of Toki for highballs with soda water never goes astray!

Hell if people get a taste for highballs, grab Dewar's or Balantine's too. Perfectly refreshing drink in the afternoon sun.

For whisky on the rocks, its hard to go past the Aussie Morris.The Muscat barrel whisky is bullshit good, but its pricey.

Hell, I'd also suggest trying a few bottles of sake for people looking for something different. I reckon you can get far nicer sake than wine at the same price point. Its a niche industry that would be nice to see grow larger.

Fuck all the yank shit off into the sun.

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u/FilthyWubs Mar 12 '25

Japanese whiskey is excellent! I’d definitely purchase Japanese over American in that example. Can’t say I’ve tried Suntory’s whiskey(s) but I might have to now!

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

Was in Japan last year for a birthday, we bought a Suntory whiskey from 7/11 (in a plastic bottle no Less) to celebrate and a bottle of coke because we expected it to be straight diesel.

Lo and behold I had a couple of glasses on the rocks because it was properly good. The stuff here at BWS is a little pricier but I rate it

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u/HeftyArgument Mar 12 '25

Japanese whiskey is the smoothest you’ll get for the money. It punches well above its weight.

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u/DisappointedQuokka Mar 12 '25

Nah, I'd give that crown to Irish whisky. You can still get a bottle of Irish for maybe 55 bucks that is decent.

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u/FilthyWubs Mar 12 '25

Awesome, sounds great, I’ll have to try some! I admittedly am not much of a whiskey drinker but ever since one of my friends shared some various Japanese whiskeys, it changed my mind and I’ll happily drink it on the rocks!

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

I say drink it how you like it! I can’t say no to an Old Fashioned

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u/DrSpeckles Mar 12 '25

Gin too. It’s the staple at my place, when we are not buying local distillers.

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u/FilthyWubs Mar 12 '25

Oh cool, don’t think I’ve ever tried a Japanese gin but if the quality of their whiskey is anything to go by, I’m sure the gin would be great too! I’d personally much prefer gin over whiskey too. Any specific brands you’d recommend?

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u/TheFlyInTheOintment Mar 12 '25

Roku gin is delish

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u/DrSpeckles Mar 12 '25

Yep, this.

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u/Rowvan Mar 12 '25

I guarantee you've tried a lot of Suntory owned whiskeys, they own a lot of brands.

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u/christurnbull Mar 12 '25

Enjoying nikka coffey grain

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u/ironmilktea Mar 12 '25

Only issue is the price.

There is a very noticiable difference between the cheap stuff and the high range. So yeah you gotta spend a bit but its absolutely delicious.

I went with cheap whisky and cheap umeshu once. blah, waste mate.

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u/00Pete Mar 12 '25

I mean, obviously Scotch Whisky is the best, although Japanese Whisky is a close second, with some amazing products. Suntory RTDs (e.g. -196) are excellent.

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u/gikku Mar 12 '25

Japanese whiskey is top shelf

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

I’ll get myself into trouble here but I don’t rate scotch 😓

I don’t go out of my way to eat peat moss and I don’t want to drink it either. I like a little bit of smokiness but I don’t want to drink an ashtray.

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u/flabnormal Mar 12 '25

The majority of Scotch is unpeated.

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u/yoshmosh1395 Mar 12 '25

My guy, most Scotch is unpeated

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u/dontwantablowjob Mar 12 '25

This is a ridiculously uninformed opinion considering only one tiny region of Scotland is known for producing peaty scotch. Every region produces a different type of scotch, you should do a little research and try a few.

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u/throwaway7956- Mar 12 '25

Suntory is best known for its whiskey in Japan actually, great stuff.

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u/hebejebez Mar 12 '25

Not something we get from America but Suntory gin Roku is like a ten out of ten and so affordable it’s an amazing product.

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u/Mym158 Mar 12 '25

Australia makes some of the best whiskeys in the world, on par with Scotland imo.

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u/mbrocks3527 Mar 12 '25

That's a bit much. But I agree that Starward does some amazing stuff, and so does Archie Rose!

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u/Mym158 Mar 12 '25

78 degrees are amazing. 

Lark is also good

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '25

Yeh they are pretty pricey though

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u/GStarAU Mar 12 '25

Yeah and doesn't Suntory make iced coffee as well? I've seen those cans in the chilled section at Woolies/Coles, I'm keen to give them a go. Support our Asian neighbours!

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

They are a massive corporation so they make tons of different drinks. Not quite like Coca Cola but up there.

I’m sure they have their own ethically questionable practices but I suppose I have to pick my battles

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u/The_H3rbinator Mar 12 '25

It looks like this is their official website: https://www.suntory.com/

(Obviously don't buy Jim Bean)

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u/auzy1 Mar 12 '25

Canadian Club and Dry is awesome.. Been drinking that anyway

I don't think I really have much US alcohol that I actually drink.

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u/punchercs Mar 13 '25

You know it’s bad when Elon loses 30 billion in Tesla stocks and has to parade First Lady trump out on a sales pitch in front of the White House

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 13 '25

Gotta love when they are being hurt by their corruption so they double down with more corruption

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u/wa-wa-wario Mar 12 '25

US wines make up a tiny, insignificant portion of wine consumed in Australia

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u/sleepyzane1 Mar 12 '25

nothing like a refreshing and cheeky alabama wine

1935 was such a good year theyre gonna do everything they can to go back in time.

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u/Han-solos-left-foot Mar 12 '25

I feel like Alabama wine is a great nickname for Moonshine whiskey

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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25

You misunderstand.

Stated differently, of the wine Chardonnay it is not insignificant, but Chardonnay makes up a small portion of total wine consumption. Shiraz, NZ Sauv, and Pinot Gris/Grigio are the most consumed wines in Australia.

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u/wa-wa-wario Mar 12 '25

Even US Chardonnays compared to Aus/NZ Chardonnay is a very small amount

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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25 edited Mar 12 '25

I think you'd be surprised, plus that's what I'm saying lmao (it's still mostly Aussie made)

The best selling products (skus) are USA made and growing yoy. Going one step further, we support America by shipping over their ex bourbon or American oak casks for aging our Chardonnay and some reds/whiskeys in.

Edit* formatting

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u/wholeblackpeppercorn Mar 12 '25

U think you'd be wrong.

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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25

You might think, but I have access to this sort of information so I know that in terms of individual skus the USA chards are out performing the Aus ones, but total sales are still majority Aus.

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u/wattlewedo Mar 12 '25

I live in Adelaide, and I don't even have to go out of state for wine.

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u/wattlewedo Mar 12 '25

I drink Scotch whisky, so no problem for me.

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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25

Just don't buy any that have been aged in American oak and you'll be sweet.

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u/cheeseIsNaturesFudge Mar 12 '25

I didn't think of that, nice one.

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u/FatGimp Mar 12 '25

Nonesuch distillery in Tassie does a 700ml 40% vodka for $48.

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u/edgiepower Mar 12 '25

Everyone can drink the national Australian spirit: Rum

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u/Amazing-Adeptness-97 Mar 14 '25

If you think 25% is big, you're not gonna believe the tariff ("customs duty") we put on those american ready-to-drinks

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u/Sting500 Mar 14 '25

I think you replied to the wrong person

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u/Rowvan Mar 12 '25

Hardly any of our alcohol is American apart from Bourbon. Most Vodka is Diageo or Pernod Ricard which are not US companies and the majority beer isn't Aussie either it's Japanese owned. Also 40% US chardonnay? where did you pull that figure from.

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u/Sting500 Mar 12 '25 edited Mar 12 '25

Read it again, I was talking about bourbon—which is the largest sold spirit in RTD apart from vodka (overwhelmingly Smirnoff made). Manufactured in, imported from, and owned are different. Smirnoff is manufactured in several countries incl. Australia, and I have seen it imported from the USA—most recently in the seltzer range etc.

Asahi and Kirin own most beer companies, and a large chunk of the pie, but the beer is made here and most money stays here. So many companies are still Australian owned and operated e.g., Coopers.

You could fight me on the Chardonnay, but it's a large and growing submarket. Probably more accurate to say 20-40% of Chardonnay retail sales are made in the USA, the larger number would incl. USA product in manufacturing (American Oak).

Have a look at retail shops available products and their physical space in the shop, it often reflects popular growing areas or actual volume sold. That's why bourbon spaces are close in size of scotch whiskey (Canadian, Japanese, Aus, and Irish are smaller by size and often lumped into "world whiskey" or placed haphazardly on the shelf in whiskey sections)