Donald Trump Removes 10% Tariff on Irish Whiskey After Irish Open Announcement

Whiskey Tariffs Lifted

U.S. President Donald Trump said at the end of his visit to Ireland on Sunday that he would remove a 10% tariff on Irish whiskey, a duty that currently falls under those imposed on all European Union wine and spirit exports to the United States.

Trump made the announcement in front of a crowd of Irish golf fans at a tournament held at a course owned by his family, and he said, "And I said on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off Irish whiskey."

BBC

The BBC said the Republic of Ireland faces a standard 15% tariff that applies to EU goods entering the US, while whiskey made in Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK has no tariff.B

The BBC also reported that Trump spent day two of his visit to Ireland watching the final day of the Irish Open, after meeting Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Irish President Catherine Connolly in Dublin on Saturday.B

Reuters reported that wine and spirits exports to the U.S. were included in a 15% tariff applied on most items under a EU-U.S. trade deal struck last year, and that new U.S. tariffs on 60 trading partners in July brought the rate down to 10%.R

SourcesReutersBBC

Crowd, Officials, Industry

Trump delivered the pledge during the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open at his Doonbeg golf course, and CNN quoted him saying, "Everybody’s been bugging me" to do it. CNN reported that Simon Harris, Ireland’s deputy prime minister and its minister of finance, called the tariff removal "a welcome announcement of economic significance" that "reflects the very positive engagement we’ve had with the US administration on tariffs over the 18 months." Reuters said the Irish Whiskey Association welcomed the announcement and that its director Eoin O Caitin told Reuters, "Nothing exemplifies the US-Ireland trade relationship better than Irish Whiskey."R

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States’ Chris Swonger welcomed the move in a statement, and AP-linked coverage said he described it as "another positive step toward reducing barriers to spirits trade." CNN also reported that Trump met Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin during his visit, and that he became the first sitting president to attend the Irish Open.

CNN

SourcesCNNReuters

Trade Context and Next Steps

Reuters said the tariff cut was part of efforts to rebuild Trump’s near-global tariff wall after the U.S. RSupreme Court struck down his initial duties, and it placed the Irish whiskey tariff within the broader EU wine and spirit framework.

Reuters reported that the Irish Whiskey Association said it would continue to work with its EU and U.S. counterparts to secure a return to the zero-for-zero tariff arrangement for all drinks exports, tying the announcement to a longer-term trade goal.R

The BBC’s analysis said removing the Trump tariffs on Irish whiskey would end the advantage that some Northern Ireland distillers had over competitors in the Republic of Ireland, because producers north of the border were covered by the removal of tariffs on all UK-made whiskey announced in May.B

The BBC also described how all-island supply chains meant some NI whiskey brands could not benefit from the earlier tariff cut, and it said the service was dominated by the Great Northern Distillery in Dundalk, County Louth.B

In the same coverage, the BBC reported that Trump sidestepped a question about Scottish independence and said, "I won't talk about Scotland yet I will save that," while addressing reporters after watching Lowry tee off.B

SourcesReutersBBC