Scotland’s First Minister vows to work with Trump to help whisky industry

John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, has revealed that he has spoken with US President-elect Donald Trump about the “importance” of trade for the Scotch whisky sector.

Appearing on The Sunday Show, broadcast by the BBC, Swinney, who has been First Minister since May last year, said: “He [Trump] was very warm and positive about Scotland…and I used the call to say to President Trump that there are a lot of issues that matter to us, and particularly the whisky industry, because the United States is a very significant market for Scotch whisky.”

According to figures from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), in 2023, the US was the largest export market for the spirit by value, worth £978 million, and the third largest by volume, importing 127 million bottles (France is first and India second).

“We didn’t specifically tariffs, because I didn’t think in our initial call it was right to go into that sort of details, because I don’t know where his thinking is,” revealed Swinney. “What I did do, however, was express the importance that I attach to trade for the Scotch whisky industry, and I’ll use that as a basis of proceeding with negotiations and discussions with President Trump.”

Swinney went on to reference how Trump is “enthused” for Scotland – the incoming 47th US President’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, and he is also the owner of a golf course in Aberdeenshire, and another in South Ayrshire.

“If that means that it helps us to avoid tariffs that might be damaging to legitimate and important, critical, economic interests in Scotland, then don’t be surprised if this First Minister of Scotland uses that channel [calling Trump] to secure that outcome,” said Swinney.

However, despite his connection to Scotland, Trump has history when it comes to punishing the Scotch whisky industry with isolationist tariffs.

In October 2019, during Trump’s first term as President, the US imposed a 25% tariff on imports of single malt Scotch whisky, a move he undertook to strike a blow to the UK in the dispute between Boeing and Airbus.

According to a report from the Scottish Government, published in November 2021, this caused a reduction in the quantity of single malt exports of between 9.5% and 19.6%. According to the SWA, in the 18 month period of these tariffs, the industry lost more than £600m in exports to the US, equivalent to £1m a day.

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