On Thursday, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) released its annual American Spirits Exports Report for 2024, which revealed that U.S. spirits exports hit a record high of $2.4 billion, up nearly 10 percent from 2023. This growth was primarily powered by a 39 percent increase in exports to the European Union, while exports to the rest of the world declined by approximately 10 percent.
The report argues that the steep rise in exports to the EU was driven by concerns regarding the potential return of retaliatory tariffs on American whiskey — which accounts for 54 percent of all U.S. spirits exports — in 2025. The tariffs put in place during President Trump’s first administration led to a steep decline in spirits exports globally, with American whiskey exports plunging by 12 percent and 18 percent, respectively, between 2018 and 2021. American whiskey exports to the EU, the largest international market for the category, also dropped 20 percent during the same time period, decreasing from $552 million to $439 million. The tariffs were paused in 2022, but the fear of the return of tariffs under the second Trump administration — as well as apprehension regarding Europe’s retaliatory tariffs — drove many producers to ramp up exports toward the end of last year.
