Irish whiskey companies have expressed relief at US president Donald Trump’s surprise decision to remove tariffs on exports to the US, believing it could be a first step towards other trade barriers erected by the administration.
The Republic’s whiskey industry was hit hard by the tariffs imposed on US imports from the European Union and elsewhere last year. Those on Irish whiskey were as high as 15 per cent in 2025, but that was subsequently reduced to 10 per cent.
Ryan Stapleton, global head of sales at Powerscourt Distillery in Wicklow, said the move is particularly positive for the business, which was sold by its receivers to US-based Altiva Management earlier this year.
The distillery, which is behind the Fercullen Irish whiskey brand, entered receivership last year amid cash flow difficulties after what it described as “disruption to trade amid global tariff volatility”.
“We are entering a new chapter under new ownership, with real ambition for Fercullen and a renewed focus on growing the brand internationally,” Stapleton said.
“Removing this barrier gives us greater confidence to invest, rebuild momentum and really push forward in a market that will be an important part of our next phase of growth.”
Michael Scully, founder and managing director of the Clonakilty Distillery in west Cork, said the White House’s decision is a welcome move but the Irish industry faces other challenges.
“The elimination of tariffs on Irish whiskey is very welcome, but it doesn’t remove all of the uncertainty,” he said. “I think the biggest problem [in the US market at the moment] is uncertainty – there’s inflation and all sorts of other stuff.”
However, Scully said it is a “step in the right direction” and could represent progress towards removing tariffs on other Irish spirits, which remain subject to the 10 per cent tariff.
After the tariffs were initially unveiled in early 2025, the Irish spirits industry underwent a period of retrenchment in the US market. Ultimately, the value of Irish whiskey exports to North America dropped by about 5 per cent to €920 million last year, according to figures published by Ibec earlier this year.
Scully said there has already been a “big turnaround” for Clonakilty Distillery’s US business in 2026. “We’ve repositioned our offerings to the market, and the pricing of those offerings, and I think that’s working, and people are really latching on to our whiskey,” he said.
Pat Rigney, co-founder of the family-owned Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, which makes Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, said the timing of Trump’s announcement was a happy surprise for Irish spirits-makers.
While gin is the distillery’s main product, the Shed also makes a single pot still Irish whiskey and has invested heavily in the US market.
“The only challenge with it is that Irish gin is not included,” Rigney said. “We need to get that to zero tariffs. That also applies to cream liqueurs, poitín and beers and all that kind of stuff, so that we get back to where we were.”
He said: “It’s a good first step. There’s no doubt about that, but Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is 80 per cent of our business.”
Rigney said the distillery has “doubled down” on the US market, which accounts for about 35 per cent of the Shed’s business, despite the turbulence of the past 18 months, and is now being rewarded for that.
“We are a family business, so we’re playing the long game,” he said, adding that the Shed had to take “some hard decisions on margin and pricing” in the US to meet recent challenges.
Consequently, he said: “Our business has grown quite dramatically in the US. We will have seen in 2026 growth of between 15 per cent and 20 per cent, depending on where it lands.”