The director of the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) called the threat of US tariffs on the spirits sector “very concerning”, RTÉ reported yesterday.
The EU announced on Wednesday that it would counter US tariffs on steel and aluminium by introducing levies on US products coming into the bloc.
This included a 50% tariff on American whiskey, which US President Donald Trump singled out, calling the move “nasty.”
Trump then said the US would place a 200% tariff on EU wine, champagne and other alcoholic products in retaliation.
IWA director Eoin Ó Catháin said there are “no winners” when it comes to tariffs, and that the US’s Distilled Spirits Council was also against the threatened charges.
‘A Window Of Opportunity’
Speaking in Washington DC, Ó Catháin said, “We’ve enjoyed reciprocal zero-for-zero trade since 1997.
“It’s been tariff-free for Ireland, the EU and the US, and we’ve had immense success since then.
“So what we want to make sure now is that we don’t change that.
“There’s been announcements made, but there’s no tariff implemented, and that does give us limited space. It’s a window of opportunity for dialogue to start.
“We’ll have the support from the Irish government to start those discussions, but we have work to do to make sure it doesn’t get to that.”
Earlier this month, the IWA celebrated International Whiskey Day by highlighting the sector’s success, including the news that its exports exceeded €1 billion in 2024.
In addition to these exports, the IWA reported that Ireland is the fourth-biggest export market for Kentucky bourbon whiskey.
Ó Catháin concluded, “We want to make sure that every consumer can enjoy the spirits that they want – and I think it might be needed after this week.”
‘This Is A New Situation’
Following his meeting with the US president, Taoiseach Micheál Martin called for dialogue between the EU Commission and the US to relieve trade tensions.
Also in Washington DC, Martin spoke of upcoming decisions at the European Council later this month.
He also answered a question on the retaliatory tariffs in 2017, which these threats seem to be reflective of.
Martin said, “Obviously we’ve been endeavouring to protect Irish interests in terms of specific Irish products and Irish sectors.
“We need to refine some of this [retaliation], because that was an old playbook in a different set of circumstances, with perhaps different agendas.
“And I think this is a new situation, and therefore I think there has to be a strategic approach to the areas that there will be reciprocal tariffs on.”
He added that what those tariffs are will be decided by the EU following consultation with member states.
Martin said, “We now have the next number of weeks to actually engage with the EU Commission in respect of that issue, and we’ll be making those points.
“And I think this is somewhat similar to what happened before, but our view is that there needs to be a more strategic position. And we’ll see how it unfolds.”
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