Irish whiskey could soon enter the United States without the 10% import charge it currently faces. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he intends to eliminate the tariff, disclosing the decision during his trip to Ireland.
The subject came up while Trump was appearing at the Irish Open, where Shane Lowry had won the golf tournament. Trump told those gathered that the whiskey issue had been brought to his attention repeatedly during the visit. Prime Minister Micheál Martin had discussed it with him, he said, and Lowry had raised it as well.
Trump responded by saying the United States would get rid of the charge. People attending the ceremony reacted loudly to the news, with cheering and whistling heard from the crowd. A date for putting the change into effect was not provided.
The current 10% rate is actually lower than it was earlier in the year. Irish whiskey was covered by a 15% duty on European Union products before that rate dropped by five percentage points in July.
Whiskey made across the border in Northern Ireland has been in a different position. Because Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, its spirits were included in an earlier tariff change covering U.K. whiskey. Scotch whisky was covered by that decision too.
Trump first announced the U.K. change in April. He connected that decision to a White House visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, saying afterward that the two had influenced him on the matter. By July 24, the Scotch Whisky Association said the policy allowing those products to enter without the tariff was in effect.
That meant whiskey from the Republic of Ireland continued to carry a U.S. import charge while whiskey covered by the U.K. policy did not. The Irish Whiskey Association had already asked for that difference to be addressed.
The association made its request in May. Its argument was partly about businesses in the United States, since American companies can have Irish brands among the products they sell. The group also raised concerns about uncertainty for people buying those products.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States reacted positively after Trump spoke Sunday. Its president and CEO, Chris Swonger, said lowering trade barriers for spirits was a positive development. He also pointed to the approaching holiday period, when restaurants, stores and other hospitality businesses are preparing for a busy part of the year.
Sunday’s statement came at the golf tournament itself, rather than as a separate announcement devoted to trade policy. Trump was at the course in Doonbeg for the Irish Open ceremony and spoke about the tariff while addressing those attending the event.
The practical details still have to follow the announcement. Nothing provided Sunday specified the day when Irish whiskey shipments will stop being charged the current 10% rate.
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