American Whiskey Exports Fell by Nearly 20% in 2025 — So What’s Next?

American Whiskeys on sale at a supermarket in Beijing, China, on April 11, 2025. (Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)

American whiskey exports declined by 19% in 2025, per a recent report from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. The statistic paints a worrying picture of an alcohol industry struggling against trade tensions, declining consumption and economic headwinds — though it’s impossible to tell which of the three will ultimately take the biggest toll

According to the American Spirits Exports 2025 report, US spirits exports fell by 3.8% across the board, declining for the first time since 2018. Broken down category by category, the trend was driven by a 19% drop in whiskey exports, a 13% drop in gin exports, and a 3% drop in vodka and rum exports.

The slump can be attributed to a mixed bag of causes and effects. Murmurs of a 30% tariff on American whiskey imposed by the EU prompted many brands to front-load their exports, leading to a sharp increase in shipments in the second half of 2024. Though American spirits currently enter the EU duty-free, uncertainty led several leading distillers to hedge their bets sooner rather than later.

The situation is demonstrably worse in other markets. Canada — which famously banned American alcohol from many of its provinces’ shelves in March 2025 — witnessed a 70% decline in overall spirits exports year over year. US whiskey exports to Canada declined by 57% to $33 million, while American whiskey exports to Japan declined by 28% to $57 million.

Whiskey exports to Brazil, the U.K. and Australia fared in the other direction, increasing by $25.7 million. $17.4 million and $7.3 million, respectively.

The impact of this growth, however, is marginal — at least for the time being. The European Union remains the single largest market for American spirits, accounting for 51% of total exports in 2025. Nonetheless, American whiskey exports to the EU fell by a sharp 35% last year, down to $454 million.

“The decline of U.S. spirits exports in 2025 underscores the industry’s vulnerability to uncertainty in the global trade environment and the vital importance of restoring the permanent return to zero-for-zero tariffs on spirits products,” DISCUS President & CEO Chris Swonger said in a public statement. “When American spirits compete on a level playing field, exports grow, jobs are created and local economies thrive.”

The DISCUS report wasn’t all doom and gloom. Cordial exports increased by 38% in 2025, while brandy exports jumped by an unprecedented 57%.

If we had to guess, the amaro boom spearheaded by cocktails like the Aperol Spritz and Negroni may have helped American-made cordials break into new markets. Likewise, the Chinese government’s tariff hike on European brandy was one of the biggest spirits industry stories in 2025. If the DISCUS statistics are true, it might suggest that American producers have muscled in on a lucrative gap in the market.