US Imports Tariff
In what was hailed as ‘Liberation Day’ for the US, by President Trump, the rest of the world has been left reeling from a series of tariffs on exports to the US, due to commence from midnight on the 5th April 2025.
The UK has been hit with a 10% levy, which in comparison to some nations, you could say has been let off lightly. In truth though, the tariffs are a huge blow to the Scotch whisky industry, which relies heavily on exports to the US. Jobs could be at risk, with sales expected to be hit, and it could turn out to be a challenging time for smaller distilleries and operators.
In truth, it is unclear to visualise the full impact of the tariffs, it is likely to be a turbulent few months as the dust settles and the market gets to grips with the knock-on effect of these changes. It is believed that the UK, amongst other nations and regions, are looking to get their rates reduced or even removed, whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen.
Any Positives?
Could Scotch whisky and UK exports now have a competitive edge over their Irish whiskey and Japanese whisky counterparts? The EU face 20% tariffs and Japan an even steeper 24% rate!
One thing that is certain, you can’t produce Scotch whisky anywhere else in the world, so customers in the US will predominantly have to shop in the UK to get their Scotch fix.
How It Will Affect US Customers?
All whisky deliveries to the United States processed under a personal import model, whereby goods are declared per individual consignee on CBP Form 7501 and entered under Entry Type 11 are legal and recognised as non-commercial, personal-use goods and not subject to tariff increases. This methodology has been validated and accepted by US Customs Brokers. Commercial shipments would be subject to the tariffs.
What We Can Do
In the meantime, as a gesture to our American friends in the commercial sector, we are going to offset the 10% tariff by introducing a discount to the same tune for any shipments to the US. This will be effective immediate and run until 1st June 2025, or until the rates are reduced and/or we get a deeper understanding of how this pans out. On the cart page enter the promo code TRUMPTHETARIFF and any orders shipping to the US will see the 10% discount added to their order.