Whisky made in Scotland is among the products targeted by the US for a possible range of new tariffs on imported goods.
The US has threatened to impose tariffs on European Union imports worth up to $4bn (£3.2bn).
It is not known when tariffs would be imposed.
Whiskey from Ireland, continental cheeses including Parmesan and Gouda, pasta and olives are among the other items potentially affected.
The US has released a list of 89 items in total.
- READ MORE: New campaign hopes to toast Campbeltown
The US Trade Representative said it was "in response to harm caused by EU aircraft subsidies".
In April, the US announced proposed tariffs worth billions on EU goods.
The US is the world's largest export market for Scotch whisky by value - £1.04bn in 2018.
By volume, it is the second largest, with 137 million 70cl bottles exported last year.
A spokesperson for the Scotch Whisky Association said: "Exports of Scotch whisky to the US have been zero tariff for 20 years, so it is disappointing that Scotch whisky has been drawn into this dispute.
"The Scotch whisky industry has consistently opposed the imposition of tariffs, which harms economies on both sides of the Atlantic which depend on trade for their continued prosperity.
"There is a close relationship between the US whiskies and Scotch whisky, not least due to the use of bourbon casks for maturation which generates around £70m for the US economy each year.
"We continue to urge the UK government, the EU and the US government to resolve this situation."
Scotch whisky makes up 12% of the total whiskey market in the United States, with US whiskey accounting for 48%.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States warned that the move could harm jobs and consumers in the country.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel