Whiskey distilleries around the island of Ireland attracted over 800,000 tourism visitors in the year from June 2023 to June 2024, with the majority coming from overseas, according to new figures from the Irish Whiskey Association.
The main markets for whiskey distillery visitors during this period include the USA, Great Britain, Germany, France and Ireland, with an uptick reported in visitors from Eastern Europe, as well as South and East Asia.
The Irish Whiskey Association claims that the average spend of distillery visitors has also increased, with the latest 800,000 unique visitors having contributed many millions more euro to local economies.
‘World Class’
“Premium whiskey production is, of course, at the heart of what our world-class distilleries do,” said Eoin Ó Catháin, director of the Irish Whiskey Association.
“However, many also encompass tourism, hospitality, retail, food, entertainment and events, thereby playing a valuable role in supporting the sustainability of local economies, both directly and indirectly, through their supply chains, and also through the value added to local economies by distillery visitor spend.”
Gender Balance
The association notes that the age profile of visitors is now skewing far younger, and there is greater gender balance among enthusiasts for distillery experiences.
There are more than 28 Irish whiskey visitor experiences, all of which have come together to form the Irish Whiskey 360° island-wide trail, launched by the Irish Whiskey Association.
Seventy five per cent (75%) of these distilleries are located outside the urban centres of Dublin and Belfast, and many are in rural areas dotted around the island of Ireland.
The Irish Whiskey 360° Trail
The Irish Whiskey 360° trail connects visitors with whiskey destinations in each tourism region on the island, with each one having its own unique and distinct origin story, setting, sense of place, and offering.
The whiskey destinations range from the only working distillery on the Ring of Kerry to a converted gaol block in North Belfast, and from the oldest licensed distillery in the world, on the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, to one in the historic Blackpitts area of Dublin.
A 700-Year Anniversary
A special all-island industry gathering to mark the 700-year anniversary of the first known written account of distillation in Ireland is taking place this week.
The reference is contained in the ancient vellum manuscript The Red Book of Ossory, produced in Kilkenny in Latin and Old French in 1324.
The Red Book also contains the first written mention of aqua vitae, which became uisce beatha in Irish, and then, when anglicised, whiskey.
‘Local Economies’
“In this historic year for the industry, we are delighted to bring our distilleries, brands and stakeholders together to celebrate whiskey experiences on the island of Ireland,” said Ó Catháin.
“The latest distillery visitor numbers show that whiskey tourism is continuing to grow in importance as a valuable contributor to Ireland’s experience economy, as well as to local economies.”
