Karen Gregory, a tourist from Oklahoma, visited Dublin this week, inhaled the aroma of malted barley at the Teeling whiskey distillery and picked a side in an age-old contest. “Definitely Irish. It is lighter and brighter. The jump is too heavy.
The throngs of visitors merrily sipping neat whiskies, whiskey cocktails and whiskey coffees suggested more people turned to the Irish side of the rivalry, which pitted two venerable traditions in a battle for market dominance.
Irish distilleries dominated the 19th century, accounting for more than 60% of US sales before the disaster struck. The Irish ignored new technology, limited exports during the US prohibition in the 1920s and found themselves in a trade war with the UK. Scotland seized its chance and increased global exports, establishing Scotch as synonymous with all types of whisky.
“We’ve gone from 60% to 2% in the US, it’s kind of a gimmick,” said John Teeling, the doyen of Irish whiskey producers. Then he smiled, “But I think we’ll overtake the Scots by the end of the decade. There will be a big party when that happens.
After decades of quiet suffering, Irish whiskey is making a roaring comeback. From just four operating distilleries in 2010, there are now 42 on the island of Ireland. Annual global sales have grown from 5 million cases (60 million bottles) in 2010 to 14 million cases (168 million bottles) last year, fueled by new offerings and younger drinkers.
Growth in the U.S. has been particularly strong, rising 16 percent to a record $1.3 billion last year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. If the trend continues, U.S. sales of Irish whiskey—currently 5.9 million cases—will overtake Scotch, which is stuck at about 8 million cases, by 2030.
Globally, however, Scotch sales of 1.3 billion bottles still outstrip its Irish rival, which sells 190 million bottles. “We’re still playing catch-up after decades of underperformance when scotch practically stole our breakfast,” said Jack Teeling, John’s son and managing director of Teeling Whiskey.
It’s a bigger game now—the global whiskey market hovered at $80 billion for the past decade, but is expected to jump to more than $100 billion by 2024, according to consumer data company Statista. Japanese brands have also exploded in popularity, earning $340 million in sales last year.
Kilbeggan Distillery. From just four operating distilleries in 2010, there are now 42 on the island of Ireland. Photo: Sam Hunter
Last month, the Irish government launched a €750,000 “spirit of Ireland” campaign to promote Irish products in American bars and liquor stores. For Irish distillers, overtaking Scotch in the US would be a psychological boost and remedy a century-old fiasco in the world’s biggest market.
It would also underline the ambition to challenge the enduring dominance of Scotch elsewhere, including Britain. “The UK was a graveyard for Irish whiskey,” said John Teeling. “No longer.”
Celebrities have launched their own brands of Irish whiskey, with the stars of US sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia this week debuting a 15-year-old single malt to celebrate the show’s 15th season. Former mixed martial artist Conor McGregor launched a brand in 2018.
Popular culture saw a revival of Irish whiskey a decade ago, when the Jameson brand appeared in songs by Rihanna and Lady Gaga and on the TV shows Mad Men and South Park.
“There was no light switch moment and suddenly Irish whiskey became fashionable again,” said William Lavelle, director of the Irish Whiskey Association. “It took 30 years. Ambition and strategy came together.”
William Lavelle of the Irish Whiskey Association. Photo: Sam Hunter
Exports to Russia, its second-biggest market, have ground to a halt and the UK’s dispute with the EU over Northern Ireland could cause disruption, but the future is bright, Lavelle said. “It’s a renaissance.”
Ireland claims, like other countries, to be the birthplace of whiskey. There is a reference to the drink in the Red Book of Ossory, a medieval manuscript produced in County Kilkenny in the 14th century.
At one point, Ireland had more than 1,000 distilleries. By the 19th century, a cluster of manufacturers in Dublin’s Liberties district supplied much of the world.
However, they shunned innovation – such as a new type of pot – and shrunk during US Prohibition and Ireland’s trade war with Britain in the 1930s. Scotch whiskey—which omits the “e”—has filled the gap with peatier, darker offerings. Ireland’s traditionally milder food has acquired a reputation for blandness.
Until the 1980s, Ireland had only two distilleries producing a fraction of Scotland’s output. The turnaround began after French drinks giant Pernod Ricard bought Irish Distillers, giving its Jameson brand multinational heft, and the Teelings opened a new distillery, encouraging other newcomers.
The Irish experimented with new flavors, methods and cocktails – a level of freedom lacking in Scottish producers who operate under stricter rules – and won over drinkers in the US. However, some remain confused about the terminology, which makes John Teeling cringe. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘your whiskey is great’.”
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