A prominent Scottish whisky producer has lambasted the newly-imposed tariffs by Trump as a significant setback for the industry. Anthony Wills, the founder and managing director of Kilchoman Distillery situated on Islay within the Inner Hebrides, acknowledges that a substantial slice - up to 15% - of his distillery's sales are linked to the US market.

In a deleterious twist for UK exporters, President Trump declared just yesterday (2) that imports from the UK would now face a 10% tariff. Still reeling from the announcement, Anthony expressed today (3) that he's in the midst of assessing the potential toll on his enterprise.

Anthony voiced his concerns: "We have been well briefed on what was coming, but the level of tariff we weren't sure." Admitting to a sliver of relief at the tariffs not hitting expected heights, he nonetheless signalled the severity of the situation: "There was a slight relief that it wasn't as high as we were expecting, but it is a huge blow to the industry."

Firmly denouncing the move, he predicted a ripple of adverse effects stretching across global markets: "This isn't a sensible route to take. It is going to impact globally. It is going to have a detrimental effect on business." Hoping for a swift and reasonable resolution, he stressed: "The sooner everyone sits down and works a way through, the better."

The US represents an invaluable sector for Scotch whisky makers, commanding sales to the tune of £971 million annually. This bout with tariffs isn't the sector's inaugural challenge; back in 2019, the US imposed a hefty 25% tax on single malt varieties.

Addressing the gravity of the situation, Anthony remarked: "Of all of our sales, the US represents 10-15 per cent, so this is going to be a big blow." With an unwavering gaze towards the future, he reaffirmed: "The US is a key market for scotch whisky, and it always will be."

Despite current adversities threatening to slow down progress, Anthony concluded with resolve: "We will continue with the momentum we have had over the last few years, but the challenges at the moment mean things will take a while longer.

"When the tariffs were put on in 2019, it had a massive impact on the sales for US. We did make the decision then that we were going to share that cost with our importer so our shelf price would stay the same.

"It had a disruptive effect on sales, there is no doubt about it. It was a challenge and it will be this time."

Despite encountering substantial obstacles both within the industry and his own firm, Anthony has expressed a determination to avoid hiking prices for American consumers, as he managed back in 2019. He stated: "We are keen to maintain the momentum we have built up over the last 14 years since we have been exporting to the USA.

"We will do whatever we can to keep prices as competitive as possible. We will try and keep the shelf price the same, but that might not be possible. Every distillery around Scotland will be affected, and with everything else going on, this is just another challenge we will have to deal with."