US President Donald Trump has promised to lift tariffs and restrictions on the trade of whisky between Scotland and the US state of Kentucky, a move he made in honor of the state visit of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who have just concluded their stay in Washington.
Trump wrote about this on the social network Truth Social on April 30.
“In honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House and will soon return to their great country, I will be lifting the whiskey tariffs and restrictions on Scotland's ability to partner with Kentucky in the production of whiskey and bourbon, two very important industries,” Trump wrote.
He added that people have been wanting this step for a long time, especially given the trade in wooden barrels used to age spirits.
“The King and Queen have made me do what no one else has been able to do — almost without being asked. It is a wonderful honor to welcome them both to the United States,” the American president said.
According to the BBC, the Scotch whisky industry is the main buyer of used bourbon barrels from Kentucky — Scotland imports around £200 million worth of them each year.
The Trump administration’s 10 percent tariff on British goods has hit Scotch whisky producers, for whom the United States was their biggest export market, and tariffs on single malt whisky, which were lifted four years ago, were set to return this spring with an additional 25 percent levy.
Graham Littlejohn, strategy director at the Scotch Whisky Association, told the BBC that the industry was losing around £4m a week – £150m in the last year of the tariffs. Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said Scotch whisky exports were worth almost £1bn and supported thousands of jobs in the country.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney called Trump's decision “great news for Scotland” and thanked the king for his “key role” in its passage.
Britain's King Charles III arrived in the United States on April 27. This is his first visit to the United States in this capacity and the first state visit by a British monarch to the country since 2007.