The Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) has said it "heartily welcomes" comments from US President Donald Trump that he will remove tariffs on Irish Whiskey.

Speaking at the Amgen Irish Open golf tournament yesterday (Sunday, September 14) at the Trump International golf course in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, the president said he would remove the 10% tariff on Irish Whiskey.

The decision, according to Trump, followed lobbying from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and golfer - and Amgen Irish Open winner - Shane Lowry.

It is unclear at the moment when Trump's decision will take legal effect.

Reacting to Trump's comments, IWA director Eoin Ó Catháin said: "The IWA heartily welcomes President Donald's Trump's announcement today that the tariff on Irish Whiskey in the USA is to be removed.

"Nothing exemplifies the US-Ireland trade relationship better than Irish Whiskey," Ó Catháin added.

Last year, Irish Whiskey exports to the US were worth €450 million, while Irish distillers purchased €80 million worth of US whiskey casks.

"This relationship represents thousands of jobs and millions in investment on both sides of the Atlantic, and the return to tariff-free trade for our Irish Whiskey distillers will strengthen this success and lead to further growth and investment," the IWA director said.

"We will continue to work with our EU and US counterparts to secure a return to the 'zero-for-zero' arrangement for all drinks exports," Ó Catháin added.

He expressed thanks to those involved in advocating for the removal of tariffs and for the Irish Whiskey sector in Dublin, Brussels and Washington.

Ó Catháin said the IWA "looks forward to seeing this announcement fully implemented".

Budget asks

Coincidently, the announcement by Trump on Irish Whiskey came as the IWA announced its Budget 2027 strategy, outlining a number asks for the government ahead of the upcoming national budget.

The organisation said that "sector-specific supports" may be required to protect the sector.

The IWA said that 2025 saw pauses in production and some distillery closures, while 2026 saw "renewed focus on emerging markets, considerable investment in the industry from international partners, and strong sales figures".

This was achieved, the IWA said, despite significant challenges, including that US tariff, energy inflation, and the cost of doing business, among other factors.

The sector delivered €930 million in export value and record sales of 16.4 million cases globally in 2025.

However, the IWA warned that the resilience of domestic producers, particularly rural and fledging small and medium enterprises (SMEs), will the "tested in the years ahead" if certain supports are not made available.

The IWA is calling for a 10% reduction in excise duty to "reflect modern consumption realities".

The association said Ireland's drinks excise duty is "heavily penalising local distillers, hospitality providers, and tourism businesses".

"The excise rate remains punitive and well above the EU average; this combined with increases in the cost of living is now threatening the viability of [the] homegrown hospitality sector," the IWA said.

The body is also calling for targeted funding for global market diversification.

The IWA's budget submission would have been developed prior to Trump's announcement yesterday.

There is already some "momentum" in diversifying Ireland's export destinations for the sector, with "high potential" growth regions including India, Japan, South Africa and Nigeria.

The IWA wants to see the expansion of dedicated teams within Bord Bia and direct support to exporters to exploit these markets.

The last of the IWA's three main budget demands relate to energy, logistics, and water infrastructure.

The body noted that distilling is an energy-intensive manufacturing process, and producers face projected energy cost surges of up to 20%, alongside international shipping cost spikes of up to 80%.

As well as that, proposed non-domestic water tariff hikes scheduled for 2026 to 2029 "threaten business certainty", the IWA said.

The association has urged the government to introduce a sector-specific energy relief scheme; fully absorb scheduled non-domestic water tariff increases through central subventions to Uisce Éireann; and streamline regulatory burdens on SMEs.

Ó Catháin commented: "Our distillers and regional producers are grappling with a challenging combination of exorbitant domestic tax rates, severe energy inflation, and increased costs in doing business - everything from energy and packaging to international shipping costs.

"Without decisive government intervention in Budget 2027 - most notably an immediate 10% excise reduction and direct market diversification supports - we risk stalling regional growth, discouraging investment, and losing the competitive edge which made us the only spirit category to grow its market share in 2025," he added.