2 April 2025, 15:59

By William Wemyss

The last time Scotch whisky got caught in a trade war, it cost the industry £600 million in just 18 months.

Now, with the return of US tariff talk, those of us who make our living crafting and selling Scotch whisky are bracing for the fallout. Again.

Scotch was never the intended target. In 2019, it became collateral damage in a transatlantic dispute over aircraft subsidies. But the result was the same: lost sales, delayed investment, and smaller producers like ours left scrambling to protect margins and staff.

We're operating in a fundamentally more challenging environment now, with even more economic hurdles, generously provided by the compounding impacts of Brexit, Covid and the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Our industry also supports over 41,000 jobs across Scotland, many in rural communities where alternative........

© LBC