John Swinney confident of 'real chance of a better deal for Scotch whisky' following Trump meeting

John Swinney has said there’s a “real chance” of a better deal for Scotch whisky following a meeting with US President Donald Trump earlier this week.

At a press conference at Bute House on Wednesday, the First Minister said that while a deal was not concluded with the President, he had built a platform for the UK Government to negotiate and deliver a better deal for the industry.

Swinney told reporters: “We set out our case, set out the chance that we believe exists for a better deal that benefits America and Scotland, and President Trump listened carefully to Scotland’s case.

“But I want to be very clear, we did not conclude a deal. That rests with the UK Government to negotiate and to deliver for Scotch whisky.”

He added: “I think there’s every possibility that a deal could be made here.”

John Swinney meets Donald Trump in the Oval office Scottish Government

The First Minister flew to Washington DC earlier this week to fight for “the very best deal possible for Scotland” on whisky tariffs.

The 50-minute meeting took place ahead of the President’s state visit to the UK next week.

Swinney travelled to the United States for a series of trade and political meetings to argue that Scotch whisky should be exempt from the standard 10% duty charge when it is imported to the USA, as it can only legally be produced in Scotland.

The First Minister hopes that zero-for-zero tariffs on spirits could be reached as part of the ongoing UK-US trade negotiations.

“I have to be realistic about our chances of getting this deal,” Swinney said.

“US policy is pro-tariffs. The President believes in tariffs. Nothing here is going to be easy – it never was.

“But I think and hope there is now a real chance of a better deal. We’ve done the best we can to put [the issue] in front of US decision makers, and I think we have made progress for Scotland this week.”

Experts have said current tariffs are costing the whisky industry £4m a week and that over 1,000 jobs have been lost as a consequence.

Prior to Wednesday’s press conference, Swinney highlighted that whisky exports to the US in 2024 were worth almost £1bn and that the importance of trade between the two countries “cannot be underestimated”.

“The United States is the largest market for Scotch whisky, but Scottish distillers also spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year buying Bourbon casks from Kentucky,” he said.

“I am determined to do all that I can to protect and safeguard this iconic Scottish product.”

During his trip to the US, the First Minister met representatives and member companies of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the Scotch Whisky Association at Mount Vernon.

The location is the home of US founding father George Washington and the site of a whisky distillery he opened in 1798, which was operated by his Scottish farm hand James Anderson.

Earlier this summer during Trump’s visit to Scotland, STV News asked him if he would take another look at the tariff deal on whisky.

He said he wanted Scotland “to thrive” and that he wasn’t aware of the issues with whisky tariffs when STV News first asked him about it.