Overview
- The 10% tariff on Scotch whisky was lifted on 24 June after President Donald Trump announced the exemption during the UK state visit in April.
- Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney called the change a significant benefit for producers and said it should help stem job losses and encourage investment.
- The Scotch Whisky Association said tariff-free trade with the US — a market worth about £933 million to the sector in 2025 — will give firms more confidence to grow exports.
- Producers such as Annandale Distillery say savings from the tariff cut will be reinvested in bottling halls and staff, which they expect to create more products and local jobs.
- The change helps distillers and linked industries such as cooperages and the cask trade, but a separate 10% US tariff on other UK imports keeps broader trade uncertainty in place and will shape next steps for exporters and policy makers.