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Exports of Scotch whisky to the US fell by 15 per cent after President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs on the UK, according to an industry body.
The Scotch Whisky Association said global exports of the drinks in 2025 were down 0.6 per cent in value, to £5.36bn, and 4.3 per cent in volume, to 1.3bn bottles, from the year before.
The US is the industry’s most valuable international market, and exports to the country were down 4 per cent in value, to £933mn, with volumes down 9.2 per cent, to 120mn bottles.
However, after the 10 per cent tariff was implemented in April, exports to the country dropped 15 per cent in volume and 7 per cent in value between May and December, the SWA said.
Distilleries are having to reduce production volumes and lay off staff owing to oversupply of the alcoholic drink caused by the US trade war and lower consumer demand.
Both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney have discussed reducing tariffs with the US president.
However, an agreement has yet to be reached almost a year on from the tariffs’ implementation.
US tariffs could also rise to 35 per cent in July, when a five-year suspension of a 25 per cent single malt tariff caused by the Boeing-Airbus dispute elapses.
As well as tariffs, the SWA said rising business costs in the UK — including a 17 per cent rise in spirits duty over three years — and softening demand had hit producers.
Mark Kent, SWA chief executive, called for a halt on tax increases at home and for the UK to “vigorously” pursue trade deals with Thailand, the Mercosur group of South American economies and the Gulf states.
Earlier this year, China agreed to halve import tariffs on Scotch whisky to 5 per cent from February 2026 as part of a trade deal with the UK.
Last year’s UK-India free trade deal reduced India’s 150 per cent import tariff on UK whisky to 75 per cent, with further reductions to 40 per cent over the next decade.