Industry Report: Irish Whisky
It's more than just the luck of the Irish
Dear Drink To That reader,
Your industry report this week is about the exciting world of Irish whisky. In recent years, the category has exploded in popularity and here’s the latest trends.
Irish whisky investing is big business
Whisky investing has its evangelists and its detractors like every form of investing. Regardless of the opinion, it’s a fact that Irish whisky is a leader in the conversation, and people are willing to spend big on casks and bottles.
Some recent examples include one of the most expensive whiskies ever being sold at auction called The Emerald Isle. This was a release from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co headed by Irish whisky educator and investment broker Jay Bradley. The Emerald Isle was sold for $2.8 million.
Another example comes from the Midleton distillery in County Cork. A 50-year-old whisky called the Midleton Very Rare Silent Distillery Collection Chapter Six was bought for £55,000.
This demonstrates that Irish whisky is considered to have the same level of prestige as single malt scotches and high-craft bourbons.
Bushmills expands into global travel
Old Bushmills, Northern Ireland’s leading whisky brand, has been on an expansion tear in the last few years. In 2024, the Co Antrim distillery set up its Travel Trade Range in New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. With India being one of the world’s largest whisky markets, Bushmills has also launched a rare single malt series made up of a 10, 12, 15 and a 21-year-old.
The US-based distributor Proximo is helping Bushmills grow in America and is making a significant impact.
Roy Summers, GTR head at Proximo said “our travel retail exclusive range of Bushmills single malt Irish whiskies from the oldest licensed working distillery in the world, has been specially designed with the travel retail shopper in mind. We are now offering a range that has something for both whisky explorers and enthusiasts, and for gifting. We’re excited to bring the Bushmills brand to life in these airport locations.”
Increased demand in other markets
While the US remains the biggest market for Irish whisky, challenges remain with the complexities of tariffs and a slow down in demand. According to Richard Woodard from just-drinks.com “smaller brand owners I’ve spoken to recently have been increasingly bear-ish about the US, describing a general softening of demand over the past year, especially for products north of $50 a bottle and actively questioning the depth of their involvement in the market.”
Nevertheless, giants like Jameson haven’t put their eggs all in one basket. In addition to India being a popular market for Irish drams, exports are up in Africa (16%), Japan (35%), mainland China (60%) and Australia (66%).
What are your thoughts on these trends? You can get in touch via infodrinktothat@gmail.com
Cheers to you,
Jamie