Irish whiskey volumes grew by 8.6% in the US in 2019. Although it represents a smaller segment of the category, the pace of sales for Irish whiskey was higher than American, Canadian, and Scotch whiskies.
The five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of Irish whiskey is up to 13.4%. The IWSR said premiumization has been a key force in the growth of Irish whiskey with 30 new brands launched in 2019 priced in the premium-and-above sector.
“Interest in Irish whiskey has been led primarily by Jameson for decades,” said Adam Rogers, North American research director at IWSR. “But now the establishment of more distilleries in Ireland has contributed to an increase in not only Irish whiskies, but other categories like Irish gin as well.”
Source: The Spirits Business, March 2020