US President Donald Trump used the closing ceremony of a golf tournament in Ireland to announce that he intends to lift the 15% tariff on Irish whiskey, a move that could reshape transatlantic spirits trade.
Speaking at the Irish Open on Sunday, Trump said he had been repeatedly pressed on the issue by golfers and spectators. “Everybody’s been bugging me” to do it, he told the crowd. “And I said, ‘On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off'” Irish whiskey.
The announcement drew loud cheers and whistles from the audience, though no timeline was given for when the tariff would actually be removed.
A long-running trade dispute
The 15% tariff was imposed by the Trump administration on a range of European Union goods, including Irish whiskey, as part of a broader trade dispute over aircraft subsidies. In May, the US president lifted similar tariffs on UK whiskey, which covers Scotch and spirits produced in Northern Ireland, following a visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House.
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump posted on social media at the time. The Scotch Whisky Association confirmed on 24 July that the zero-tariff policy had taken effect.
Irish whiskey producers have been vocal in their opposition to the tariff. In May, the Irish Whiskey Association called for its removal, arguing that it burdened US companies with Irish brands in their portfolios and created uncertainty for consumers. The association has also pointed out that the tariff puts Irish distillers at a competitive disadvantage compared with their UK counterparts.
The announcement comes as Trump prepares for a visit to Dublin, a trip that has already stirred diplomatic tensions over trade and other issues. The Irish government has been treading carefully, balancing its close economic ties with the US against the EU’s unified trade stance.
For the Irish whiskey industry, which has seen rapid growth in exports to the US in recent years, the tariff has been a significant hurdle. Distilleries across the island, from Dublin to Cork to Bushmills, have been watching closely. The US is the largest market for Irish whiskey, accounting for over a third of global sales.
While the pledge is welcome, industry leaders will be looking for concrete action. “We’ve heard promises before,” said one Dublin-based distiller, who asked not to be named. “We need to see the paperwork.”
The tariff removal would also have implications for the wider EU-US trade relationship, which has been strained by a series of protectionist measures from Washington. European Commission officials have been monitoring the situation, though they have not yet commented on Trump’s latest statement.
As the golf tournament crowd celebrated, the real test will be whether the tariff is actually lifted and how quickly. For now, Irish whiskey producers are cautiously optimistic, but they know that in trade politics, promises are only the first step.
