Members of the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) have announced its plans to travel to the US and Canada this week as part of an industry mission to promote Irish whiskey in the lead up to St.Patrick’s Day.
The mission seeks to enhance the protection of Irish whiskey, develop business opportunities for Irish whiskey distillers, and promote Irish whiskey among key North American drinks industry groups and international media, the group that represents the industry outlined in a statement.
“Irish whiskey’s global renaissance shows no sign of abating," said William Lavelle, head of the IWA.
"This is very much down to the exceptional craftsmanship and product innovation of Ireland’s whiskey producers, both large and small, as well as the hard work being put in on the ground, particularly by our network of brand ambassadors in the North American market."
Industry Issues
The industry delegation, led by IWA Chairman and Director of Connacht Whiskey Company David Stapleton, will meet with various industry bodies, such as the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in Harrisburg, to deepen its relationships with state-run liquor boards, which have monopoly sales on Irish whiskey.
IWA representatives will also meet with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) to discuss industry issues related to trade and market access.
Irish Whiskey Promotion
Tonight, the IWA will partner with Irish Consul General in New York City, Ciaran Madden, and DISCUS to host 'A Celebration of Irish Whiskey', an event to promote the expansion of the Irish whiskey category to US drinks industry stakeholders and media.
A promotional event will also take place this week in Toronto in association with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), Bord Bia and Invest NI.
Lavelle foresees see continuing double-digit growth in Irish whiskey sales in North America.
"The market accounted for 45% of global sales of Irish whiskey in 2018. Clearly there is a growing demand for quality Irish spirits in the US and Canada," he said.
“As the representative body for Irish whiskey, we will continue to actively engage with North American state bodies, industry representative groups and top-tier media to promote the Irish whiskey category and open the door for Irish producers to the two largest sales markets for their products.”
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
