President Donald Trump said the United States would remove its 10% tariff on Irish whiskey during the trophy ceremony at the Irish Open in Doonbeg, Ireland. The Orlando Sentinel reported that he made the announcement after presenting the title to Shane Lowry, prompting whistles and cheers from spectators. The administration has not given a date for the change to take effect.
Trump said several people had pressed him on the duty, including Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and golfers. The Orlando Sentinel reported that Lowry was among those he identified; the Financial Times also reported that Martin and Lowry had personally urged him to drop the tariff. That account is being retained as attributed reporting rather than presented as independently verified lobbying.
Implementation remains uncertain
The tariff currently applied to Irish whiskey is the standard 10% rate for most European Union imports, after a 15% rate was reduced in July, according to the Orlando Sentinel. A separate exemption for Ireland could face complications because trade policy for EU member states is handled at the European Commission level, the Brussels Signal reported. The formal timing of any U.S. action was not immediately available.
The policy also matters to producers in Northern Ireland. Irish whiskey has one geographic indication covering the island, and Northern Irish distillers with cross-border supply chains were excluded from the earlier U.K. tariff exemption and remained subject to EU duty rates, according to the Brussels Signal. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the U.K.'s zero-tariff policy for Scotch and spirits made in Northern Ireland took effect in July.
The sector entered the announcement under pressure
Irish whiskey exports fell 5% in 2025 to about €930 million, following pressure from tariffs and currency movements, according to Bord Bia figures cited in the Celtica market report. The same report said the number of operating distilleries rose from four in 2010 to nearly 50 by 2024, leaving the industry with substantial maturing inventory as demand in the U.S. weakened.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States welcomed Trump's announcement as a step toward reducing barriers for spirits businesses, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Eoin Ó Catháin, director of the Irish Whiskey Association, also welcomed the prospect of restoring tariff-free trade and said the group would continue pressing U.S. and EU counterparts, according to the Brussels Signal.
