Donald Trump pledges to scrap 10% US tariff on Irish whiskey during visit to Doonbeg golf resort

Announcement at Doonbeg

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, 13 September 2026, that the United States will eliminate import tariffs on Irish whiskey. The announcement came at the trophy presentation ceremony for the Irish Open golf tournament, held at Trump's resort in Doonbeg, County Clare. Trump addressed spectators before handing the winner's trophy to Irish golfer Shane Lowry, stating that he had decided to remove the duties following repeated appeals from Irish leaders and athletes.

Everybody's been bugging me. They're saying, 'Will you do me a favour, it's so unfair what's going on. Could you possibly take the tariffs off of Irish whiskey?' And I said, on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off.

Bilateral talks and political reaction

The announcement concluded Trump's two-day visit to Ireland, which began on Saturday with official engagements in Dublin. During a meeting at Farmleigh on 12 September, Taoiseach Micheál Martin directly raised the whiskey tariff issue with the American president. Martin also addressed the situation in Gaza during their discussion. Day two of the presidential visit took a private turn in County Clare, focusing on the golf tournament before Trump's scheduled departure from Shannon Airport.

Irish political leaders responded to the Doonbeg announcement on Sunday evening. Tánaiste Simon Harris described the decision as economically significant for the bilateral relationship between Dublin and Washington. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke stated that the removal of duties would protect domestic jobs, noting that the United States serves as a vital market for regional distillers across the country. Lowry reacted with humor during his post-tournament press conference, joking that Irish distillers should send him a cheque for his role in raising the issue.

Industry impact and trade balance

The Irish Whiskey Association welcomed the decision, pointing to the mutual economic benefits shared by both countries. According to association director Eoin Ó Cáitín, Irish whiskey exports to the United States were valued at 450 million euros in 2025. Over the same period, Irish distilleries purchased 80 million euros worth of American whiskey barrels to mature their spirits.

This relationship represents thousands of jobs and millions in investment on both sides of the Atlantic, and the return to tariff-free trade for our Irish whiskey distillers will strengthen this success and lead to further growth and investment.

Transatlantic trade context

Irish whiskey producers have faced shifting American trade policies over the past two years. Under a transatlantic framework agreed in the summer of 2025, American tariffs on European Union goods were capped at 15%, a level applied to Irish whiskey before a subsequent reduction to 10%. However, Irish producers found themselves at a disadvantage after May 2026, when Washington lifted all tariffs on whiskey imported from the United Kingdom following a visit by King Charles. That exemption left Scottish and Northern Irish distillers trading duty-free in the American market while products from the Republic of Ireland continued to face the 10% levy.

No specific implementation date for the tariff elimination was provided during the Doonbeg ceremony, leaving distillers waiting for formal regulatory action from Washington.