Minister Simon Coveney will launch the Irish Whiskey Association’s ‘Vision for Irish Whiskey’ document this evening (12 May), setting out the industry’s ambition for the future and outlining its strategy to ensure continued growth.
With 26 new or proposed distilleries across Ireland and annual exports of Irish Whiskey being valued at over €300 million, ‘Vision for Irish Whiskey’ outlines five key pillars that will support sustainable growth for the industry.
These include; establishing adequately resourced infrastructure, including financial support for new entrants to the sector, creating clear guidelines for category integrity and promotion, and ensuring sustainable supply and demand with additional capacity to support market growth.
The Irish Whiskey Association also considers tourism as central to sector growth, as well as creating a strong sense of pride in local industry within the domestic market.
Bernard Walsh, founder of Walsh Whiskey Distillery and Chairman of the Irish Whiskey Association explained further, “The Irish whiskey sector is ambitious for its future. The existing players have driven the global renaissance in Irish whiskey with double-digit growth prospects. The key to our success is to ensure that this growth is sustainable: economically and environmentally.
“To do this, we are launching a cohesive strategy today that will underpin this growth. The potential is massive. If we look at our neighbours in Scotland, we see the world-leading Scotch industry exporting over 90 million 9-litre cases annually. There are over 130 Scottish distilleries that bring investment and employment into rural areas. There is no reason why Ireland cannot achieve similar success,” he added.
"We look forward to working with Minister Coveney and other relevant stakeholders going forward to ensure Irish whiskey stays on track to become a true success story for brand Ireland.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan
