Irish Whiskey Industry to More Than Double Worldwide Sales by 2030
The Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) has outlined its ambitious plans to more than double worldwide sales of Irish whiskey by 2030. The Irish Whiskey Association is part of ABFI, the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland.
The vision for Irish whiskey strategy set a target of doubling the global sales of Irish whiskey from 6 million nine-litre cases to 12 million by 2020 and to double them again to 24 million by 2030.
Head of the Irish Whiskey Association William Lavelle says: “With sales of nearly 10 million cases in 2017 we are on target to reach and exceed the 12 million cases target by 2020 and we are now setting our sight on reaching 24 million cases by 2030.”
Irish whiskey is the fastest-growing spirits category in the world. The CSO reports that the value of Irish whiskey grew by 14.3% last year.
Lavelle adds: “We are an ambition industry and our ambitions are increasingly global. At present, half of all Irish whiskey is sold in just one market, the United States. Our goal is to target more growth in more markets. We want to expand from our current 135 markets to at least the 170 markets where Scotch whisky is sold. More critically, in the markets where we currently have a low sales base, we want to grow sales by double digits each year. Recently we increased sales across Europe and in emerging markets such as Canada, Mexico, and Africa. Going forward, Asia and the Far East is going to be a key focus for Irish whiskey export growth.”
