Vodka, whiskey and gin most popular

That’s according to the Spirits Market Report 2021 from Drinks Ireland|Spirits which showed that domestic spirits sales rebounded last year, as hospitality venues reopened in the second half of the year, up by 8% to 2.55 million litres sold.

Drinks Ireland|Spirits said Ireland’s spirits sector showed resilience last year in the face of the domestic and global challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, with exports up by roughly 25%, according to a new report released today. Overall exports were valued at around €1.2 billion.

This comes as overall alcohol consumption continues to decline here, down by 4.7% last year, and over 30% in the past 20 years, according to data from the Revenue Commissioners.

Ireland’s protected spirits (Irish whiskey, Irish cream and poitín) performed strongly, with global sales up by 21% in 2021. The US, UK and Canada were the top 3 markets.

Irish whiskey’s spectacular growth was notable once again, with global sales reaching 14 million cases.

Meanwhile, Irish cream’s global sales followed a similar strong trajectory and are expected to top 10 million cases for the 1st time ever this year.

The Ready to Drink (RTD) category continued to emerge in Ireland, mirroring the global trend. Last year, sales of cocktails and long drinks in Ireland grew by 60%, while hard seltzers were up by 46% and flavoured alcoholic beverages rose by 27%.

A number of local producers have entered the RTD market, with sales of Irish RTD brands up by 7.4% between 2020 and 2021.

Another trend in Ireland is the growing popularity of no and low alcohol products. While beer and cider brands lead this trend here, the no and low spirits category has started to emerge with sales up by 313% last year, albeit from a low base.