Removal of whisky tariffs ‘essential opportunity’ says FM during World Cup trip

The First Minister has said the removal of Scotch whisky tariffs is an “essential opportunity” for the industry and Scotland’s economy.

John Swinney travelled to the state of Kentucky to meet bourbon business leaders on Monday.

The Scottish Government said Mr Swinney was aiming to “keep up the momentum” for scotch after US President Donald Trump announced in May that he would remove the 10% tariff on whisky.

The move is a big win for Scotland’s national drink, with the American market – its biggest – worth nearly £1 billion.

“The removal of tariffs on Scotch whisky is an essential opportunity for the Scotch whisky industry, the Kentucky bourbon industry, and the cask industry to prosper and to expand,” Mr Swinney said.

“It was important that we got the tariffs lifted with the agreement of President Trump to make sure that trade could flow effectively.”

He said: “It’s a win-win on both sides of the Atlantic, but fundamentally, it creates a great opportunity for the Scotch whisky industry to thrive.”

Mr Swinney flew to Boston last week to watch the nation’s first World Cup match for 28 years, where Scotland beat Haiti 1-0.

Speaking during his Kentucky visit, Mr Swinney also said the agreement of a peace deal between the US and Iran was “very welcome”.

“Obviously, we’ve been arguing for some time for an end to conflict and fighting, and the fact that we are now in a situation where there is a peace deal in place is very welcome news,” the First Minister said.

“We now need to make sure that there’s progress to ensure the flow of goods and services from the Middle East, because that’s been impacting on the cost of living.”

He said: “With that pressure removed, it gives us even greater opportunity to tackle the cost-of-living challenges that are faced by people in Scotland, and which are my absolute priority as First Minister.”