WHISKEY distilleries fear US president Trump’s tariff waiver could be a whimsy that is removed “just as quickly”.
But they hope it will prove to be a major jobs boost for the county and the €1bn industry.
At the end of a whirlwind 48-hour trip to Ireland last weekend, Donald Trump unexpectedly announced the surprise tariff decision on the green of his Co Clare golf course.
Companies in Donegal and farmers welcomed the boost – while some warned that more “certainty” is needed.
US president Donald Trump announced a surprise tariff removal on Irish whiskey on the green of his Co Clare golf course.
The Crolly Distillery’s co-founder Conor McMenamin told the Donegal News: “The question now is whether this represents a firm change in US trade policy or another Trump decision that could change just as quickly.
“We need to see the detail, the timeline and some certainty that Irish distillers can actually plan around.”
Whiskey made in Donegal includes his well-known Crolly Distillery at Crolly in the Gaeltacht, Ardara Distillery’s famous Ardara Single Malt by Sliabh Liag Distillers, and Baoilleach Distillery near Carrigart.
Crolly’s Conor said: “This is very welcome news for Crolly Distillery and the Irish whiskey industry.
“Irish whiskey was never asking for special treatment, just fair treatment.
“We were effectively starting every sale in America 10 per cent behind.
“You can’t build an international business around tariffs that can appear, disappear, or potentially return on a political whim.
“Since the tariffs were announced, Croithlí has pushed ahead strongly with developing other international markets and that won’t change.”
Crolly Distillery co-founder Conor McMenamin.
Conor added: “We’re confident because of the whiskey we produce. Croithlí is a premium single malt made here in the Donegal Gaeltacht with an uncompromising focus on quality and character.
“Whiskey drinkers recognise quality when they experience it, whether that’s in Donegal, the US or anywhere else in the world.
“We have fans all over the world who buy online via our website thecrollydistillery.com and through our distribution networks.
“So we’ll raise a glass to this announcement — and to Shane Lowry and everyone else who kept bugging Trump — but we’ll keep building Croithlí internationally regardless.”
Croithlí has pushed ahead strongly with developing other international markets since the US tariff waiver was announced.
Sliabh Liag Distillers sells its award-winning products on its sliabhliagdistillers.com website and ships its Ardara Single Malt and Silkie Irish whiskeys to the USA.
Their co-founder and chief executive James Doherty said: “We are delighted with president Trump’s announcement that the tariff on Irish Whiskey in the USA is to be removed.
“Bringing back tariff-free access will support the job creation and allow us to bring our Donegal whiskeys more affordably to the American consumer and share the smoky tastes that Donegal was once famous for.
“Like the families of Donegal, the whiskey industries on both sides of the Atlantic represents thousands of jobs and millions in investment, and the return to tariff-free trade for our Irish Whiskey distillers will strengthen this success and will I hope lead to further growth and investment.
“We at Ardara are grateful to all who advocated for our sector, in Dublin, Brussels, Washington DC, and elsewhere and look forward to see this initiative bearing fruit.”
Ardara Distillery responded to America removing tariffs on Irish whiskey.
The US imposed its 15 per cent Irish whiskey tariff on August 1, 2025, as part of EU-US trade issues, but was later reduced to 10 per cent in July past.
As Trump was handing over the winner’s trophy at his Doonbeg resort to Irish Open champ Shane Lowry, he suddenly tore up the international trade rule.
It was similar to May past when Trump announced, following a visit to the US by Britain’s king Charles and queen Camilla, that he would remove a tariff on whiskey being exported from UK, which benefitted companies over the border in the North.
Tariffs are a tax on trade that are applied to goods as they enter a country and are paid by the domestic company that imports them, not the company that exports them from abroad, for example, Ireland.
The charge puts pressure on the exporting firm because trade with that company can make it less competitive in the market, so it may have to cut its prices.
Irish agencies that promote the country’s food and drink industries estimate that the export value of the Irish whiskey industry nationally is worth up to €1 billion annually for the economy and accounts for 45 per cent of Ireland’s total beverage exports.
The Irish Farmers’ Association last night revealed the importance of the tariff’s end for grain producers.
The IFA’s grain chairperson John Murphy said: “Owing to the downturn in Irish whiskey exports to the key US market, no distilling malting barley was purchased this harvest and this has had a knock-on impact on farm incomes.
“Removal of tariffs will hopefully kick-start a demand for Irish whiskey on US shelves and allow malting barley demand to recover more quickly than anticipated in 2027.”
He added: “Growers also feel there is significant scope for more Irish grain to be utilised by the distilling industry.
“In our submission to the Public Consultation on the Irish Whiskey Techical file, IFA said that Irish grain must be utilised in Irish whiskey.”