John Swinney flies to US to press for removal of whisky tariffs
It comes ahead of President Trump’s second state visit to the UK next week
John Swinney has flown to Washington DC to press the case for the removal of tariffs on Scotch whisky.
The First Minister will advocate for a better deal ahead of Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK next week.
The current 10 per cent tariff is costing the whisky industry £4 million a week in lost exports, according to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The US is Scotland’s largest export market by value for whisky, worth £971 million in 2024.
Mr Swinney previously said President Trump showed a “willingness” to engage on the issue when the two men met in July.
The First Minister and a delegation from the SWA will engage with representatives of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), and Mr Swinney will also meet key members of Congress.
It is not known whether he will have further talks with the president. Mr Swinney arrived on Monday evening and was met by UK ambassador Lord Mandelson. The visit will last until Tuesday night.
Scotland's whisky industry employs more than 20,000 workers, many located in rural areas.
Mr Swinney said: “During President Trump’s visit to Scotland in July, we succeeded in putting whisky firmly on the trade agenda and I pledged to do whatever I could to help get a better tariff deal.
“The negotiations themselves are, of course, for the UK negotiating team but during this trip we are partnering with industry to promote the interests of Scotch Whisky – a key economic interest and iconic Scottish product – and make the case for a better tariff deal.
“We will argue that the reduction of tariffs is in the interests of the United States as well as Scotland. The United States is the largest market for Scotch whisky but Scottish distillers also spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year buying Bourbon casks from Kentucky.
“With President Trump’s state visit imminent, these are critical days on which hopes of a better tariff deal for Scotch Whisky rest. We are here to make sure we have done everything possible to get the best deal for Scotland.”
Mark Kent, chief executive of the SWA, said: “The First Minister’s visit to the United States to press the case for removal of Scotch whisky tariffs is a positive and timely intervention ahead of the President’s forthcoming state visit to the UK.
“The current 10 per cent tariff is costing the Scotch whisky industry £4 million a week in lost exports, with businesses losing out on investment, employment and growth.
“Scotch whisky and US whiskey share a close and longstanding trade relationship, and industries on both sides welcome the First Minister’s leadership on this issue and his efforts to strike a deal which will benefit communities in Scotland and across the US.”
Mr Swinney appeared to forge a good relationship with the president during the latter’s visit to Scotland in July. Mr Trump described him as a “terrific guy” and personally thanked him during the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire.
“I think there’s a willingness for President Trump to look at the issues that I’ve set out to him,” Mr Swinney told journalists at the time.
“I don’t think that was the position a few days ago, because I think President Trump was of the view that the trade deal was done and dusted and that was an end of the matter.”
The First Minister argued whisky was unique because it “can only be produced here”, adding: “It can’t be manufactured and produced anywhere else, because it can’t then be Scotch whisky.
“So I’ve set that out and President Trump has listened to the arguments I’ve put forward.”
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