Irish spirits exports hit record €1.47 billion in 2024

Irish spirits exports hit a record €1.47 billion in 2024 ahead of US tariffs being imposed on the industry this year.

Before the impact of US import tariffs, Ireland’s spirits sector saw the value of its exports surpass its previous peak of €1.46 billion in 2022. Meanwhile, domestic spirits sales sank for the second year in a row, down 2.2 per cent, with Vodka the most popular product.

Ibec industry lobby group Drinks Ireland’s 2024 annual report for the sector found that the volume of spirits exports saw only “modest” growth of 2.8 per cent.

Even so, the value of these exports rose 11.8 per cent with Drinks Ireland Spirits chairman, David Boyd-Armstrong, warning that the growth in the value of spirits exports is mainly down to “inflation across the supply chain”.

He projected growth for the sector in the “medium term” but said the pace of expansions for the sector has eased in “an incredibly challenging business environment.”

“The imposition of a 15 per cent tariff on exports to our biggest market, the United States, is compounded by the weak dollar and continued trade uncertainty,” Mr Boyd-Armstrong said.

He said returning to a “zero-for-zero tariff trading position” should remain the top priority for the Government and the EU in negotiations with the US.

The US market the sector’s largest, representing 30 per cent of all exports.

Spirits businesses have responded to the tariffs by shifting away from reliance on the North American market.

The largest product in the sector, Irish whiskey saw its export volume rise 3.6 per cent in 2024 but has focused on emerging markets since April – the US made up 40 per cent of its export value.

One of those target markets for the whiskey industry, India, saw the biggest surge in demand, jumping 57.5 per cent in 2024. Sales of Irish whiskey in South Africa, the report noted, have nearly doubled since 2020.

The director of Drinks Ireland Spirits, Aengus King said that spirits are a “big component” of the country’s food and drinks exports but had a “mixed year” in 2024.

“We know that 2025 has been very challenging for our members and their businesses,” he said, noting his appreciation for the Government’s “ongoing efforts” to resolve trade barriers to the US.

“Given the current trading environment, distillers and spirits producers need more direct supports to drive export market development and diversification,” he said.

“Furthermore, with per-capita consumption now 34 per cent lower in Ireland than 2001, as well as the head winds being faced by industry, now is the time for a 10 per cent excise reduction in Budget 2026.”