Hopefully it's coming home to America during the World Cup. Diageo is betting big bucks on its two biggest blends, and there are many special bottlings to celebrate Scotland's return to the tournament after 28 years. But the real boost to Scotch whisky may come from further south, reports Tom Bruce-Gardyne …

Last week, in keeping with the incessant hype around the World Cup, CNN claimed the tournament was "a make-or-break moment for alcohol" in America. "The alcohol business in the United States is struggling more than in virtually any other part of the world," Bourcard Nesin, a beverage analyst for Rabobank, told the broadcaster. "We're seeing dramatic declines in consumption that aren't taking place elsewhere."

"The World Cup will increase consumption of beer, wine and spirits without question," he continued. "It's a big boost for them at a time when they need it in a market where they need it most." The US is still by far the most valuable market for Scotch whisky, with shipments worth £933 million last year.

North America accounts for 38% of Diageo's turnover, and in its Q3 results (January-March 2026) its spirits suffered a 15.4% drop in the US mainly because consumers have been trading out of Casamigos and Don Julio tequila for cheaper brands. Meanwhile, sales in Latin America and the Caribbean jumped 16.2%, partly thanks to distributors stocking up ahead of the World Cup. Much of it would have been Scotch.

Diageo is throwing a ton of money at the tournament. As FIFA's first ever World Cup spirits partner it is determined to share in every outburst of joy or heartbreak over the next six weeks. "Sports bring people together in such a powerful and vibrant way," says Rick Pineda, VP Global Sports at Diageo. "They truly are moments of community, and we feel our brands can be right at the moment of celebration."

But, as my fellow Whisky News columnist, Ron Emler wrote in Drinks Business, the company's CEO – Sir Dave Lewis – was: "less gung-ho. He recently told analysts that a North America-based World Cup is "going to be a bit more of a voyage of discovery" in seeing how consumers respond."

The partnership with FIFA revolves around five brands including Johnnie Walker and Buchanan's which has a big fan base in Mexico and Brazil, and among Hispanics in the US. Buchanan's is having its first unified campaign across the Americas featuring the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Rauw Alejandro. A music-fuelled bus – the 'Buchamión' will tour US stadiums, and fans will be offered the whisky and pineapple cocktail known as the Buchanita.

Steve Hawley, America Director for The Artisanal Spirits Co which owns the Scotch Malt Whiksy Society (SMWS), has witnessed the drinks industry piling in. "It feels desperate," he says from his home in San Francisco. "Spirits are placing huge bets on the World Cup just because it's something to latch onto in really bad times."

He describes the mood among US consumers as "one of apprehension. I think everyone is holding onto their wallets a little tighter until they have a little more confidence in what the world's going to look like in the next six months." Other impacts he includes are; inflation, the overproduction of Bourbon, the Covid hangover where bottles bought during lockdown remain unfinished, and obviously, in the case of imports like Scotch, the tariffs.

The 10% tariffs caused US shipments to fall 15% in value from May to December last year, and the Scotch Whisky Association claims it has been costing the industry around £4m a week. The recent royal visit secured a promise they would be removed. 'The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!' tweeted Trump on April 30th.

Six weeks on, they are still in place and for Hawley it just goes to illustrate the current uncertainty. "Unfortunately, I think the Trump administration has demonstrated that they like to say things and make deals, but they don't know how to actually execute them."

"The fact it was a personal promise to the King, I think the British government is fairly confident it will be honoured," an industry source told me. The likely date is July 24^th, Trump's deadline for introducing a new raft of global tariffs.

Back to the World Cup, and the independent whisky bottler Finn Thomson, says: "If the Scotland support receives the same level of attention and affection that the Tartan Army enjoyed during the Euros, there may well be an increased interest in Scotch whisky. The Tartan Army has a remarkable way of winning people over wherever it goes, and that enthusiasm is often infectious."

Being responsible for the official 'Tartan Army whisky' he has skin in the game. That release has sold out, but he is over in the US, promoting his single cask whiskies. "More than anything, the World Cup is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Scotland on the world stage, and we're proud to play a small part in sharing Scotland's whisky heritage with American consumers," he says.

The SMWS Society has its own commemorative World Cup bottling, but Steve Hawley very much doubts Americans care enough about the Scottish team to start downing drams and buying bottles. Were Scotland to reach the finals – current odds 250:1 – that may change.

While he is gloomy about spirits in general, he does not believe Scotch whisky has any particular issues with relevancy or consumer taste in the US. "I think it's structural," he says. "I don't think it's anything about the fundamentals of the Scotch proposition." And while it is very much a niche player, the SMWS has seen double digit growth in America over the past six months.

One suspects the World Cup won't be enough to mend the US spirits market or restore Diageo to growth there. However, it will surely give Johnnie Walker and Buchanan's a welcome boost in Latin America.