Subheading · Chapter 22 · Heading 2208
2208.30: Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength: whiskies
Whisky
Official description Whiskies
2208.30 is the HS subheading for whisky, under heading 2208 in chapter 22.
What you pay
Importing into UK
Rates by national line · UK Global Tariff
UK lines →- 2208 30 00 00 Whiskies l alc. 100%
- Bourbon whiskey, in containers holding l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 11 00 2 litres or less Freel alc. 100%
- 2208 30 19 00 More than 2 litres Freel alc. 100%
- Scotch whisky l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 30 00 Single malt whisky Freel alc. 100%
- Blended malt whisky, in containers holding l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 41 00 2 litres or less Freel alc. 100%
- 2208 30 49 00 More than 2 litres Freel alc. 100%
- Single grain whisky and blended grain whisky, in containers holding l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 61 00 2 litres or less Freel alc. 100%
- 2208 30 69 00 More than 2 litres Freel alc. 100%
- Other blended whisky, in containers holding l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 71 00 2 litres or less Freel alc. 100%
- 2208 30 79 00 More than 2 litres Freel alc. 100%
- Other, in containers holding l alc. 100%
- 2208 30 82 00 2 litres or less Freel alc. 100%
- 2208 30 88 00 More than 2 litres Freel alc. 100%
Additional duties and import rules
Charges on top of the customs duty, and rules the goods must meet at the border.
Additional duties and charges 3
- Additional dutyAdditional duties 35%
- Applies to goods from
- Belarus, Russia
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 376
- Documents
- 9008
- Excise dutyExcises
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Tariff lines
- on 4 of 11 lines
- Excise dutyExcises 33.99 GBP / l alc. 100%
- Applies to goods from
- all countries
- Tariff lines
- on 7 of 11 lines
Import requirements 3
- Import controlRestriction on entry into free circulation
- Applies to goods from
- Russia, Ukraine
- Legal act
- 2022 No. 1110, S.I. 2022/395
- Documents
- 9011
- 9009
- 9010
- 9017
- Import controlImport control on luxury goods
- Applies to goods from
- North Korea
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/411
- Documents
- Y945 Travellers' personal effects or goods of a non-commercial nature for travellers' personal use contained in their luggage (Art 10.2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Y946 Goods necessary for the official purposes of diplomatic or consular missions of Member States in the DPRK or international organisations enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, or to the personal effects of their staff (Art 10.3 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1509)
- Import controlImport control of organic products
- Applies to goods from
- all countries except Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia
- Legal act
- S.I. 2019/693
Preferential rates by country
| Agreement or scheme | Countries | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| standard rate (no agreement) | — | Free |
| DCTS Comprehensive | Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin and 38 moreAfghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Kinshasa, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia | Free |
| European Union (including code "EU") | Free | |
| DCTS Enhanced | Algeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville and 13 moreAlgeria, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Congo - Brazzaville, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Niue, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu | Free |
| CARIFORUM | Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize and 10 moreAntigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago | Free |
| OCTs (Overseas Countries and Territories) | Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands and 7 moreAnguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Turks & Caicos Islands | Free |
| SADC EPA | Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia | Free |
| CPTPP | Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico | Free |
| Eastern and Southern Africa States | Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe | Free |
| UK–Albania agreement | Albania | Free |
| UK–Australia agreement | Australia | Free |
| UK–Canada agreement | Canada | Free |
| UK–Switzerland agreement | Switzerland | Free |
| UK–Côte d’Ivoire agreement | Côte d’Ivoire | Free |
| UK–Cameroon agreement | Cameroon | Free |
| UK–Colombia agreement | Colombia | Free |
| UK–Ceuta & Melilla agreement | Ceuta & Melilla | Free |
| UK–Ecuador agreement | Ecuador | Free |
| UK–Egypt agreement | Egypt | Free |
| UK–Fiji agreement | Fiji | Free |
| UK–Faroe Islands agreement | Faroe Islands | Free |
| UK–Georgia agreement | Georgia | Free |
| UK–Ghana agreement | Ghana | Free |
| DCTS Standard | Indonesia | Free |
| UK–Israel agreement | Israel | Free |
| UK–India agreement | India | Free |
| UK–Jordan agreement | Jordan | Free |
| UK–Japan agreement | Japan | Free |
| UK–Kenya agreement | Kenya | Free |
| UK–South Korea agreement | South Korea | Free |
| UK–Liechtenstein agreement | Liechtenstein | Free |
| UK–Morocco agreement | Morocco | Free |
| UK–Moldova agreement | Moldova | Free |
| UK–North Macedonia agreement | North Macedonia | Free |
| UK–Norway agreement | Norway | Free |
| UK–New Zealand agreement | New Zealand | Free |
| UK–Peru agreement | Peru | Free |
| UK–Papua New Guinea agreement | Papua New Guinea | Free |
| UK–Palestinian Territories agreement | Palestinian Territories | Free |
| UK–Serbia agreement | Serbia | Free |
| UK–Solomon Islands agreement | Solomon Islands | Free |
| UK–Singapore agreement | Singapore | Free |
| UK–San Marino agreement | San Marino | Free |
| UK–Türkiye agreement | Türkiye | Free |
| UK–Ukraine agreement | Ukraine | Free |
| UK–Vietnam agreement | Vietnam | Free |
| UK–Samoa agreement | Samoa | Free |
| UK–Kosovo agreement | Kosovo | Free |
| UK–South Africa agreement | South Africa | Free |
UK: imports by month
Main suppliers, last 12 months
| Country | Value | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States | £75.2m | 41.3% | -0.3% |
 Ireland | £54.8m | 30.1% | -1.3% |
| United Kingdom | £27.6m | 15.2% | +7.5% |
 Japan | £9.5m | 5.2% | -18.1% |
 Netherlands | £5.3m | 2.9% | +301.3% |
 Spain | £2.5m | 1.4% | +166% |
 China | £1.5m | 0.8% | +4,285.9% |
 Germany | £1.2m | 0.6% | -1.7% |
Same subheading in other tariffs
EU
TürkiyeWorld trade in 2024
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$508.1kUS$508.1k+US$7.4m+US$59.3m+> US$372.7m
Exports: 164
- United Kingdom: US$7.5bn
- United States: US$1.6bn
- Ireland: US$932.1m
- Singapore: US$478m
- Netherlands: US$372.7m
- France: US$354m
- Japan: US$318m
- Germany: US$308.9m
- Latvia: US$229.2m
- Canada: US$225.4m
- India: US$151.7m
- Spain: US$136.3m
- Italy: US$122.4m
- Belgium: US$118.6m
- Thailand: US$85.6m
- China: US$59.3m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$56.4m
- Romania: US$52.7m
- Malaysia: US$33.5m
- Lithuania: US$32.3m
- Austria: US$31m
- Denmark: US$29.6m
- Taiwan: US$28.9m
- Poland: US$28.2m
- Australia: US$23.9m
- Armenia: US$18.8m
- South Africa: US$18.6m
- Czechia: US$15.4m
- Luxembourg: US$13.3m
- Bulgaria: US$13m
- Estonia: US$12.1m
- Greece: US$11.2m
- Slovenia: US$10.7m
- United Arab Emirates: US$10.1m
- Azerbaijan: US$9.5m
- Sweden: US$9.3m
- Serbia: US$9.3m
- Chile: US$8.3m
- Finland: US$7.4m
- Slovakia: US$7.1m
- South Korea: US$7.1m
- Switzerland: US$6.9m
- Panama: US$5.6m
- Sri Lanka: US$5.2m
- Türkiye: US$5.1m
- Fiji: US$5.1m
- Croatia: US$5.1m
- Angola: US$4.7m
- Colombia: US$4.6m
- New Zealand: US$4.5m
- Cyprus: US$4.3m
- Brazil: US$4.2m
- Kenya: US$3.9m
- Portugal: US$3.9m
- Mexico: US$3.4m
- Albania: US$3.3m
- Bhutan: US$3.3m
- Argentina: US$2.9m
- Malta: US$2.8m
- Kazakhstan: US$2m
Trade value (US$) no reported trade < US$4.5mUS$4.5m+US$30.6m+US$169.5m+> US$462.2m
Imports: 222
- United States: US$1.8bn
- France: US$777.1m
- Singapore: US$598.2m
- Taiwan: US$582.5m
- Netherlands: US$574.4m
- Germany: US$531m
- Japan: US$462.2m
- China: US$434.5m
- Spain: US$401.2m
- India: US$400.7m
- Poland: US$385.4m
- United Arab Emirates: US$372.8m
- Australia: US$321.8m
- Russia: US$296m
- Türkiye: US$284.6m
- Canada: US$255.4m
- Italy: US$248m
- Brazil: US$234.6m
- South Korea: US$229.7m
- Belgium: US$204.4m
- United Kingdom: US$194.5m
- Latvia: US$177.2m
- Mexico: US$169.5m
- Ukraine: US$163.3m
- South Africa: US$157.6m
- Vietnam: US$151.6m
- Romania: US$148.2m
- Panama: US$147.7m
- Bulgaria: US$141.4m
- Dominican Republic: US$130.3m
- Israel: US$129.2m
- Hong Kong SAR China: US$126.6m
- Malaysia: US$123.6m
- Colombia: US$76.5m
- Greece: US$74.8m
- Sweden: US$74.7m
- Thailand: US$65.5m
- Austria: US$65.3m
- Czechia: US$64.1m
- Switzerland: US$60.5m
- Denmark: US$59.1m
- Chile: US$58.8m
- Luxembourg: US$57.8m
- Portugal: US$52.8m
- New Zealand: US$51.8m
- Nigeria: US$47.5m
- Myanmar (Burma): US$44.3m
- Lithuania: US$41.2m
- Macao SAR China: US$40.8m
- Kazakhstan: US$40.7m
- Iraq: US$38.3m
- Georgia: US$33.4m
- Kenya: US$32.6m
- Lebanon: US$31.6m
- Philippines: US$31m
- Hungary: US$30.6m
- Croatia: US$28.9m
- Slovakia: US$27m
- Estonia: US$26.7m
- Cyprus: US$26.4m
Top exporters
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | US$7.5bn | 55.2% |
| 2 | United States | US$1.6bn | 11.6% |
| 3 | Ireland | US$932.1m | 6.9% |
| 4 |  Singapore | US$478m | 3.5% |
| 5 | Netherlands | US$372.7m | 2.8% |
| 6 |  France | US$354m | 2.6% |
| 7 | Japan | US$318m | 2.4% |
| 8 | Germany | US$308.9m | 2.3% |
| 9 |  Latvia | US$229.2m | 1.7% |
| 10 |  Canada | US$225.4m | 1.7% |
Top importers
| Rank | Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | US$1.8bn | 13.6% |
| 2 | France | US$777.1m | 5.8% |
| 3 | Singapore | US$598.2m | 4.4% |
| 4 |  Taiwan | US$582.5m | 4.3% |
| 5 | Netherlands | US$574.4m | 4.3% |
| 6 | Germany | US$531m | 3.9% |
| 7 | Japan | US$462.2m | 3.4% |
| 8 | China | US$434.5m | 3.2% |
| 9 | Spain | US$401.2m | 3% |
| 10 |  India | US$400.7m | 3% |
Binding rulings for similar goods 8
Decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS) and HMRC (Advance Tariff Rulings) on goods classified here. A ruling binds only its holder, but shows how the authorities classify similar goods. The descriptions are the authorities’ own, in English.
- N288960 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky” from Scotland
- N288963 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “Ballantine’s Blended Scotch Whisky” from Scotland
- N288964 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky” from Scotland
- N288958 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “Chivas Regal Blended Scotch Whiskeys” from Scotland
- N288956 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “The Glenlivet” Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from Scotland
- N288957 U.S. CBP
The tariff classification of “Jameson Whiskey” from Ireland
8 rulings in total for this code
Recent rule changes mentioning this code
Acts whose text cites this code or its heading. Check the act itself: a code can be cited for reasons other than a change of its duty.
- Other
Excise Tax Type X345 for Commodity Codes under Heading 2208. Stop Press – 2 February 2026
Trade Tariff news 4487 · Source: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk
In the UK Global Tariff, subheading 2208.30 covers 11 tariff lines and the duty is duty-free.
The EU Combined Nomenclature divides subheading 2208.30 into 11 tariff lines; the duty is duty-free.
Goods from 164 countries can enter the UK at a preferential rate instead of the standard Free; 164 of them pay no duty at all, for example under DCTS Comprehensive or European Union.
In the UK, additional duty of 35% applies on top of the customs duty to goods from Belarus and Russia.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported whisky worth £182.2m (up 2% on the year before), at an average of £6.43 per kg; United States supplied 41%, followed by Ireland.
World trade in whisky reached US$13.5bn in 2024, down 2.9% on 2023.
The United Kingdom was the largest exporter with 55.2% of the total, ahead of the United States.
Products classified here
Questions and answers
What is the HS code for undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength: whiskies?
Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength: whiskies fall under HS subheading 2208.30, part of heading 2208, in section IV of the Harmonized System.
What is the import duty on undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength in the UK?
Under the UK Global Tariff, imports under 2208.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
What is the import duty on undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength in the EU?
Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, imports under 2208.30 from countries without a preferential agreement are free of duty. Preferential rates, anti-dumping duties and VAT are not included.
Which country exports the most undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength?
The United Kingdom, with US$7.5bn in 2024 (55.2% of world exports).
Which countries can export whisky to the UK duty-free?
164 countries pay no duty under a trade agreement or preference scheme, among them partners under DCTS Comprehensive, European Union, DCTS Enhanced. The goods must meet the agreement’s rules of origin and the importer needs proof of origin; otherwise the standard rate of Free applies. Pick a country above to see its rate.
Is there anti-dumping duty on whisky?
The UK charges additional duty of 35% on goods from Belarus and Russia. Lower rates apply to the named exporters listed in the measure.
Where does the UK import whisky from?
In the 12 months to August 2026, the largest suppliers were United States (41%), Ireland (30%) and United Kingdom (15%), out of total imports of £182.2m.
Typical products
Everyday names, not part of the legal text.