London. Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration, along with falling demand, have caused a glut of Scotch whiskey on the market, the newspaper reported. Financial Times.

Global whiskey sales fell 2.5 percent in the first half of 2025. It is the third consecutive year of decline after decades of stable growth, creating excess inventories that force manufacturers to reduce or stop production.

“Lower demand for Scotch whiskey and the uncertainty of Trump’s trade war have led to a glut of the drink reminiscent of the ‘whiskey lake’ crisis of the 1980s,” the article highlights.

The media recalled that, until there is progress in trade negotiations between the United Kingdom and the United States, the ten percent tariff introduced by Trump in April on British products remains in force.

In November, several products such as beef and coffee were excluded from the taxes, but this measure did not include alcoholic beverages.

In the United States, sales of Scotch whiskey fell 6 percent in the first nine months of the year. In comparison, in mid-2021 annual growth was 4 percent, the media reported, citing the statistics firm IWSR.

Demand is also decreasing because consumers are looking to save, giving up, in particular, single malt whiskey in favor of the cheaper blended one.

A similar ‘whiskey lake’ crisis in the 1980s, a result of overproduction in the previous decade, was resolved by expanding exports to new markets such as Japan, Greece and Spain.

The IWSR firm predicts that Scotch whiskey sales will grow again by 2030, driven, among other factors, by expansion in markets such as India, while the evolution of the US market remains unpredictable.

The monthly losses of the sector caused by the United States tariff amount to 20 million pounds (about 27 million dollars) due to lost profits and the dismissal of more than a thousand employees, the newspaper added.