Excise tax has jumped yet again, rising by 3.7% from Feb 1. That's on top of a 4% rise in August, pushing the increases to 7.7% in just six months. While brewers will feel it on case sales, it is distillers that are most exposed, with more than $30 a bottle now paid in taxation. As this article in The Shout notes, distillers are lobbying the government to freeze the indexation to provide relief for the industry during what is already a very challenging period.