Prepare for more alcohol from across the pond, as the first sitting president to attend the Irish Open said Sunday that Irish whiskey will be tariff-free.
This comes as multiple Canadian products, including alcohol, still fall under heavy tariffs and import bans.
The Open, hosted at Donald Trump’s own resort Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Doonbeg Ireland, ended with him presenting the winner’s trophy to Ireland’s Shane Lowry—and a message for Irish distillers.
“Taoiseach and I talked about it, and Shane talked about it, and everybody’s been bugging me,” Trump said at the Irish Open regarding the whiskey tariffs. “They’re saying, ‘Would you do me a favor? It’s so unfair what’s going on. Could you possibly take the tariffs off of Irish whiskey?’”
He added, “and I said, on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off.”
Irish whiskey currently faces a standard tariff of 10%, imposed on most imports from the EU, down from 15% in July. The U.S. is the primary export market for Irish distillers, but they were at a competitive disadvantage against U.K. rivals until now. Trump announced in April that certain tariffs on U.K. whiskey would be lifted, including spirits made in Northern Ireland.
The Irish Whiskey Association says it “heartily welcomes” Trump’s announcement on the tariff removal. According to the trade group, Irish whiskey exports were worth nearly $520 million last year, while Irish distillers had purchased over $90 million worth of U.S. whiskey.
“This relationship represents thousands of jobs and millions in investment on both sides of the Atlantic,” the association told Fortune, “and the return to tariff-free trade for our Irish Whiskey distillers will strengthen this success and lead to further growth and investment.”
The White House and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune on the status of the tariff removal or when it will be enforced.
Ireland cheers, Canada boos
While Trump is removing tariffs on Irish whiskey, he imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian products, or 5% of the $381.92 billion the country sent to the U.S. in 2025.
And that’s not all. The White House announced on Aug. 18 that Canada will also face import bans on alcoholic beverages, dairy and motor vehicles. Canada’s alcoholic spirits exports were worth about $687 million in 2025, according to U.N. data compiled by Trading Economics.
In response to Trump’s 50% tariffs, Canada retaliated with “dollar-for-dollar” duties on U.S. goods like steel, clothing and furniture.
The countermeasures could force Canadian businesses to absorb added business costs and increase consumer prices, according to Oxford Economics.
“Canada’s new retaliatory tariffs will help some industries but hurt most and weaken economic growth across the country by raising costs for producers and consumers,” analysts Tony Stillo and Michael Davenport wrote in a report. “The macroeconomic impacts on Canada will likely be modest, but the regional and sectoral implications will be far more significant.”
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