Trump to lift tariffs on Scotland–Kentucky whiskey trade

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has announced that he will remove tariffs and restrictions affecting trade between Scotland and the US state of Kentucky in relation to whiskey and bourbon production.

In a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the move would support long-standing trade ties, particularly in the whiskey industry and the use of wooden barrels.

“People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great inter-country trade, especially having to do with the wooden barrels used,” Trump said.

The development comes after the United States and the United Kingdom signed a trade agreement in 2025, under which Washington imposed a 10 percent baseline tariff on most British imports.

The decision is expected to ease trade flows between Scotland’s whisky producers and Kentucky’s bourbon industry, both of which share strong historical and commercial links.