Sales of premium Irish whiskey brands rose 41% domestically last year to more than 700,000 bottles, with Bushmills, Teeling, Tullamore Dew, Knappogue Castle and Writers Tears all performing strongly in 2017.
The Irish Times reports that the highest selling Irish whiskey domestically last year was Jameson, the sales of which rose 10.2%. Commenting on the strong sales performance of premium Irish whiskey brands in 2017, Irish Whiskey Association head William Lavelle said, "We are seeing a major shift away from low-price, high-volume consumption as consumers are increasingly willing to pay for quality, innovative premium products."
However, Lavelle also warned that Irish whiskey sales could be adversely affected by the Public Health Alcohol Bill's provisions to cover one-third of printed material on Irish whiskey bottles with health warnings.
Lavelle asserted, "This would seriously damage the prestige and presentation of premium brands. At a time when drinking trends are changing for the positive, and Irish spirits exports are facing increased threats of tariffs, this regressive and disproportionate intervention is the last thing we need in the domestic market."
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
