Jameson Irish Whiskey producer Irish Distillers has published its results for the first half of its current financial year, revealing that Jameson Irish Whiskey sales grew by 3% globally during the July to December, 2020, period.
Jameson experienced volume growth of 12% in the UK market, 7% in the USA, 7% in Russia and 4% in Ireland during the period, and, within the broader Jameson family, Jameson Black Barrel experienced volume growth of 31% globally versus the same period last year.
Irish Distillers also noted that its Jameson, Redbreast, Spot range, and Method and Madness products achieved their highest ever H1 volumes during the first half of its current financial year, and Jameson sales in the US exceeded two million cases in H1 for the second year in a row.
The drinks company recorded value growth of 33% in Redbreast and 31% in the Spot range.
"A Solid Start To The Financial Year"
Irish Distillers chairman and CEO Conor McQuaid stated, "Despite an extremely difficult environment, we had a solid start to the financial year, with sales of Jameson Irish whiskey showing resilience by growing 3% in the first half of the year.
"Jameson sold 4.75 million cases, which was its highest ever volumes in the first half of the year. This was aided by sales of over two million cases in the US in the first half of the year for the second year in row, but was also buoyed by growth in other key markets including the UK, Russia, and Ireland. The brand also saw continued growth in emerging markets including Nigeria, India, and Brazil.
"The ready-to-drink (RTD) category has exploded in recent years, and the trend continued in 2020 with Jameson RTD range up by 42% in value compared to the first half of the previous year due to growth in the Australia, New Zealand, UK and Canada.
"While our results reflect increased demand in the off-trade outlets, the pandemic continues to present challenging business conditions for our partners in hospitality, the on-trade and global travel retail. We understand that it will take some time for those sectors to recover and reach pre‐pandemic growth levels, but we are optimistic for the future and confident that they will rebound and emerge even stronger than before.
"The trend of premiumisation continues apace as more and more consumers choose higher quality spirits, with Redbreast, the Spot range, and Method and Madness achieving their highest ever volume sales, with the Midleton range seeing significant value growth (+46%) driven by the US, UK, Irish, German, and Canadian markets.
"Distilling is an artform and one steeped in tradition, but we continue to challenge the conventions of tradition and explore new and exciting innovations in the process, and innovation remains a key driver of Irish Distillers' growth. Our team in Midleton continues to excite and delight whiskey fans around the world with our growing portfolio of superlative expressions of the world's favourite Irish whiskey brands. Despite the considerable current challenges, we remain positive about the future growth opportunity for our portfolio globally."
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