US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is lifting tariffs on whisky imported from the United Kingdom, a move he described as a gesture to King Charles III and Queen Camilla following their state visit.
The royal couple concluded a four-day trip to Washington intended in part to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence and to mend frayed ties between the two countries. Relations had been tested amid disagreements over allied responses to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Note: “whisky” is the Scottish spelling (often called Scotch); “whiskey” with an “e” is used in Ireland and the United States.
Trump posted on Truth Social that “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” He pointed to the close trade links between Scotch makers and US bourbon producers, noting many Scotch distillers use American oak barrels for ageing. He said the tariff removal was made “in honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House.”
Governments in Scotland and the UK had lobbied the administration to end the duties, which affected Scotch’s largest market. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the United States would give “preferential duty access for whiskey produced in the United Kingdom,” though the statement did not immediately clarify whether that meant removing or reducing the tariffs.
The measure follows a 2025 trade framework that imposed a 10% tax on many goods from Britain; Scotland is part of the UK.
Buckingham Palace said King Charles “sends his sincere gratitude” for the decision and would “be raising a dram” to the president as the royals departed the US. The couple traveled to Bermuda for their first visit to a British Overseas Territory as sovereigns.
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, who had visited the White House to press the case, called the change “tremendous news for Scotland,” saying jobs and millions of pounds for the Scottish economy were at stake. He thanked the king for his role and President Trump for acting to lift the tariffs.
British Trade Minister Peter Kyle also welcomed the move, noting the Scotch whisky sector is worth almost £1 billion in exports and supports thousands of jobs across the UK.
Edited by: Alex Berry