Scotch whisky exports to the US have fallen by 15% since the imposition of 10% tariffs last April, newly released figures from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) show.
In 2025, full-year exports to the US fell by –4% in value to £933m, on volumes down 9.2%, the SWA said. However, between May and December 2025, the decline was more pronounced, with exports falling 7% in value on volumes down 15%.
The decline contributed to an overall dip of 0.6% in the value of scotch whisky exports last year, on volumes that fell 4.3%.
As well as to the US, exports to France, Singapore, Taiwan and China all declined by value in 2025. Exports to India and Turkey climbed by 15% and 43% respectively, however.
Despite recent agreements to cut tariffs in India and China, scotch was navigating “significant challenges across multiple markets”, the SWA said.
“The international trading environment continues to be challenging for scotch whisky producers, with tariffs and geopolitical tension causing significant turbulence in some key markets,” said SWA CEO Mark Kent.
As well as global challenges, scotch was struggling amid “an increasingly uncompetitive domestic tax and regulatory environment”, Kent said.
“At home, the industry faces soaring costs, from year-on-year duty increases to new packaging taxes,” he said. “Our member companies tell us they are under strain not felt for decades, and that support is vital to weather the storm.”
Just this week new data from restructuring firm BTG revealed almost one in five (19%) distilleries in Scotland were facing either “significant” or “critical” financial issues that threatened their future.
“The spirits duty increase earlier this month, totalling more than 17% in three years, has clearly impacted jobs, investment potential and economic growth,” Kent added.
Along with its counterparts in the US, the SWA is campaigning for a return to zero-sum tariffs for whisky. A five-year agreement to mutually suspend 25% tariffs on single malt whisky and American whiskey is set to end in July, risking the prospect of tariffs of 35% on scotch from the second half of 2026 onwards.
The 25% tariff, originally imposed during Donald Trump’s first presidency as part of the Boeing-Airbus dispute, cost scotch whisky suppliers £600m in lost exports between 2019 and 2021, according to SWA estimates.
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