‘The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!’ Donald Trump announced on Thursday. In their honour, after their White House visit, he is removing tariffs on Scotch whiskey and bourbon, ‘two very important industries within Scotland and Kentucky’.

A few more visits from His Majesty, and who knows what might follow. The obvious next gifts would be Virginia and the Carolinas. In the meantime the US is open for business, and our whiskey no longer faces tariff headwinds.

Trump’s announcement pleased me more than my own drinking tastes justify. Like many another Englishman, I did not take naturally to whiskey. Despite the best efforts of a wine-loving stepfather, I went the traditional route. Shandy and cider gave way to lager but bitter took a little labour; mustard in a child’s mouth, Dr Johnson might say. 

Few people take instantly to bitter. So why do we pour our energy into learning to like something which, when we try it, is initially revolting? The answer is imitation, vanity, and the desire not to be left out. Just as well: those are among the forces that keep traditions alive, and little worth having comes without effort. From the love of reading to respect for law, our tastes are acquired........

© The Spectator