IWA Statement
May 1st 2026
The Irish Whiskey Association (IWA), the representative voice for the Irish Whiskey category on the island of Ireland, welcomes any move toward restoring tariff-free transatlantic spirits trade. We share the US distilling industry’s goal: returning to the zero-for-zero regime that built our sector together, and we hope to see this extended to all spirits categories.
The fundamentals underpinning the decision to remove tariffs on Scotch Whisky equally apply to Irish spirits trade with the US.
Just as the Scotch Whisky and Kentucky Bourbon sectors enjoy close cooperation and cross-investment, so too does the Irish Whiskey sector. This has brought our Irish Whiskey distillers notable success in the US market, where we now have an export value of €450 million annually, part of an €800 million export value for our drinks sector overall.
Reducing the tariff for Irish drinks would benefit the many US companies who have Irish premium products in their portfolio. It would avoid uncertainty for the US consumer and strengthen the cask trade in Kentucky, Tennessee and other US states.
Irish Whiskey is strongly linked to US craftsmanship. Ireland is the EU’s largest importer of US oak casks; the vast majority of our whiskey matures in ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky and beyond. We are an ecosystem partner of American whiskey, not a competitor.
“Irish Whiskey” is a single GI covering the whole island of Ireland. The current arrangement would mean the same protected product may attract two different US tariffs depending on the side of the border it is produced.
We urge the European Commission and the Irish Government to continue prioritising spirits within the EU–US framework. We are continuing to work with US partners – representatives of the sector, cooperages, distillers, hospitality, retail – as well as EU and UK distillers to restore the zero-for-zero trading arrangement for the benefit of all.
Transatlantic spirits was once a textbook case of mutually beneficial free trade. It can be again – and Irish Whiskey is committed to being part of that future.
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