New data compiled by International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR) indicates that domestic sales of Irish whiskey increased 5.4% last year, with the number of nine-litre cases sold rising from 551,900 (6.62 million bottles) to 581,750 (6.98 million bottles).
The data also indicates that sales of premium-and-above priced whiskey products, specifically, increased 21.7% year-on-year, with the number of cases of such products sold increasing from 62.95 to 76.65.
"Great To See"
The Irish Times quotes Irish Distillers managing director for Ireland Claire Tolan as saying, "It is great to see [whiskey sales] growing in our domestic market, because 10 years ago the Irish market wasn’t in great shape and whiskey was largely seen as being something that your dad drank.
"It was once considered sacrilegious to add in anything other than ice to the drink, but I think the work that we and others have done to make whiskey more attractive to younger people through, for example, showing how Jameson mixes well with ginger and lime has done a lot to encourage more people to try it."
© 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.
