Trump Pledges to Lift 10% Tariff on Irish Whiskey

The United States has pledged to remove the 10% tariff on Irish whiskey, a move that would restore duty-free access for one of Ireland’s biggest drinks exports, though no legal order or start date has yet been published.

President Donald Trump made the announcement during his visit to Ireland, saying the tariff on Irish whiskey would be removed. According to an account published by The Irish Times, Trump said the issue had been raised with him by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and by golfer Shane Lowry, and he declared that, “on behalf of the United States of America,” he was taking the tariffs off Irish whiskey.

The statement was welcomed by the Irish Whiskey Association, part of Drinks Ireland, which said the change would help a major transatlantic trade flow that supports jobs and investment on both sides. In a statement published Monday, the group’s director, Eoin Ó Catháin, said Irish whiskey exports to the United States were worth €450 million in 2025 and that Irish distillers bought €80 million worth of American whiskey casks in the same period.

The proposed change would cut the tariff on whiskey produced in the Republic of Ireland from 10% to 0%. Before July, the tariff had been 15%, but it was lowered to 10% as part of a revision affecting wine and spirits from the European Union entering the U.S. market. If the latest promise is carried out, the total drop from the pre-July rate would be 15 percentage points.

The announcement matters because Irish whiskey made in the Republic has faced a disadvantage against whiskey produced in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, which already enters the U.S. without that tariff. Removing the duty on Republic-produced whiskey would end that gap in treatment in one of the category’s most important export markets.

Industry representatives described the U.S. as central to the sector’s growth. The Irish Whiskey Association said the return to tariff-free trade would strengthen an established commercial relationship in which Ireland exports finished whiskey and also buys large volumes of used American casks needed for maturation. Those barrels, often from bourbon producers, are a standard part of Irish whiskey production and link the two industries beyond simple export sales.

The White House had not, as of Monday, released the legal instrument needed to implement the change, and no effective date had been announced. That leaves uncertainty over when importers and distillers would actually see the lower rate applied at the border. It also leaves open questions about how the measure will be administered and whether any further trade steps would be needed between Washington and Brussels.

Trump indicated that the change would apply only to Irish whiskey, not to other European products. Asked whether the tariff cut would extend to the wider European Union, he replied, “Just Ireland,” according to The Irish Times. That distinction is important because the 10% U.S. tariff remains in place for other EU spirits. It also means the announcement does not appear to cover other Irish drinks categories such as gin, cream liqueurs, poitín, and other spirits, which continue to face the 10% rate unless a broader change is made.

That narrower approach may also bring political and trade questions. Irish whiskey from the Republic is part of EU trade, while whiskey from Northern Ireland falls under the U.K. system and has not faced the same U.S. tariff. A tariff carveout for one EU-origin product but not others could draw scrutiny if and when the administration publishes the formal details.

Irish officials welcomed the promise. The Irish Times reported that Enterprise Minister Peter Burke called the United States a vital market for Irish distillers, while Finance Minister Simon Harris said the announcement reflected the importance of the economic relationship between Ireland and the U.S. Their comments came as the industry pushed for a broader return to what it calls a “zero-for-zero” arrangement on drinks trade, meaning no tariffs on either side for the full category rather than for one product alone.

That wider goal remains unresolved. In its statement, the Irish Whiskey Association said it would continue to work with EU and U.S. counterparts to secure tariff-free trade for all drinks exports. The group thanked officials and advocates in Dublin, Brussels, Washington, and elsewhere, while also making clear that it now wants to see the announcement fully implemented.

The timing of the pledge follows a period of shifting tariff policy. EU spirits entering the United States had been facing a 15% tariff before the rate was reduced to 10% in July. At the same time, trade tensions between Washington and Brussels had raised concern in the drinks sector on both sides of the Atlantic. Earlier in 2025, the European Commission had announced plans for 50% tariffs on some U.S. goods, including bourbon whiskey, before those plans were later dropped after negotiations.

For Irish whiskey producers, the U.S. market is especially important because it combines scale, premium pricing, and a long-established consumer base. The €450 million export figure cited by the Irish Whiskey Association refers to 2025 and is not a newer 2026 update, but it underlines why the tariff issue has been closely watched by distillers, distributors, and the Irish government.

Until the administration issues formal documentation, the announcement remains a presidential promise rather than an enacted tariff change. Importers, exporters, and customs specialists will be watching for the final terms, including the effective date, the product definitions covered, and whether the exemption is limited strictly to Irish whiskey from the Republic or includes any related classifications under U.S. tariff rules.