The Office of the United States Trade Representative announced the action on July 23, with the tariffs taking effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on July 24. Under the new action, most UK goods face an additional 10% tariff, while many other economies have been assigned a 12.5% rate. These cover “Irish and Scotch whiskies” and “whiskies, other than Irish and Scotch whiskies.” Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said: “This is a very welcome day for the Scotch whisky industry. The exemption does not automatically extend to other UK spirits or wines.