An agreement that was reached during King Charles visit to the United States in April 2026 has come into force and whisky from the UK will now be subject to zero tariffs when entering the US.
The sector’s largest market by value, in 2025 whisky exports to the US were worth £1 billion, which is almost 20% of all whisky exported from the UK.
The agreement came into force just as US President Donald Trump has announced a new round of global tariffs. So, it was especially welcomed by whisky distilleries with the first shipment of tariff-free Scotch whisky already on its way to the US.
Worth £60,000, this shipment is the first to exclusively use digital trade processes rather than paper-based documentation, reducing shipping costs and loading times.
Smaller businesses are expected to be the biggest beneficiaries of the shift to digital trade, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has claimed.
Commenting on the agreement, Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander, said: “This is the second action this month which has opened up the world even more to our whisky exports, with the India Free Trade Agreement, which came into force earlier in July, seeing tariffs reduced from 150% to 40% over the next 10 years.”
Ian Duddy, International Director at the Scotch Whisky Association, said that the tariff cut would provide firms with greater confidence to invest, expand exports and support jobs and communities across Scotland.
Meanwhile, full details of all the new US tariff changes can be found here.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has noted that, while most sectors in the UK are no worse off under the latest changes, the EU has secured a more favourable deal in certain goods sectors which will reduce the UK’s competitive advantage.
