Members of the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) travelled to the US and Canada this week as part of an industry mission to promote Irish whiskey in the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day.
The mission seeks to enhance the protection of Irish whiskey, develop business opportunities for Irish whiskey distillers and promote Irish whiskey among key North American drinks industry groups and international media.
The industry delegation, led by IWA chairman and director of Connacht Whiskey Company David Stapleton, will meet with various industry bodies, such as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, to deepen its relationships with state-run liquor boards, which have monopoly sales on Irish whiskey. The IWA representatives will also meet with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) to discuss industry issues related to trade and market access.
"Excited To Represent The Irish Whiskey Industry"
Commenting on the mission, Head of the IWA, William Lavelle, said, "We are excited to represent the Irish whiskey industry on this mission to the US and Canada, two of the biggest sales markets for Irish whiskey.
"Irish whiskey’s global renaissance shows no sign of abating. This is very much down to the exceptional craftsmanship and product innovation of Ireland’s whiskey producers, both large and small, as well as the hard work being put in on the ground, particularly by our network of brand ambassadors in the North American market.
"We see continuing double-digit growth in Irish whiskey sales in North America. The market accounted for 45% of global sales of Irish whiskey in 2018. Clearly there is a growing demand for quality Irish spirits in the US and Canada.
"As the representative body for Irish whiskey, we will continue to actively engage with North American state bodies, industry representative groups and top-tier media to promote the Irish whiskey category and open the door for Irish producers to the two largest sales markets for their products."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
