Whiskey exports from Northern Ireland to the US will no longer be subject to the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump.

The US leader announced in a social media post that he was removing the duty “in honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom”, but only referred to Scotland in the post.

The US trade representative later confirmed that the change would apply to all whiskey produced in the UK, including Northern Ireland.

The tariffs on whiskey produced in the Republic of Ireland remain in place. Since July of 2025, those producers have faced a duty of 15% on exports to the US.

The duty on for exports from Northern Ireland was at 10% and now has been lowered to zero. This week’s move, therefore, will serve the put Republic of Ireland distillers at an even greater disadvantage over their northern neighbours when trying to access the lucrative US market.

Protected product

In a statement, the Irish Whiskey Association said: “'Irish Whiskey' is a single GI [geographical indication] covering the whole island of Ireland. The current arrangement would mean the same protected product may attract two different US tariffs depending on the side of the border it is produced.

“We urge the European Commission and the Irish Government to continue prioritising spirits within the EU-US framework. We are continuing to work with US partners – representatives of the sector, co-operages, distillers, hospitality, retail – as well as EU and UK distillers to restore the zero-for-zero trading arrangement for the benefit of all.”

Data from Bord Bia showed that the existing tariffs were already hitting exports to the US, with global whiskey shipments 5% lower in 2025 to €930m.

The annual Performance and Prospects report said the category was “negatively affected by trading uncertainty with the US”.

Whiskey exports from the Republic to the US were 30% lower in the first two months of 2026 when compared with the same period last year, but sales in January and February 2025 were elevated as importers tried to get stock in place ahead of the expected implementation of tariffs.

The share of Irish whiskey exports going to the US has fallen from 64% in 2019 to 40% in the 12 months to the end of February 2026. Across the same period, the overall value of those exports has increased by over €100m.

As well as the extra costs from tariffs, Irish whiskey exports have been faced price pressures from the considerable depreciation of the US dollar against the euro since Donald Trump came into office.