For an Irish whiskey producer close to the UK border with Northern Ireland, US tariffs of 20 percent on EU alcoholic drinks are an unexpected "curve ball". According to the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) trade group, the US market represents 40 percent of the total exports of the iconic Irish spirit. Producers in the Republic of Ireland are looking enviously at distilleries across the border, where the tariff rate is just 10 percent. "Things could have been much worse," says Brendan Carty, who owns a distillery in Northern Ireland. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES