Irish Whiskey Turns to Global Travel Retail
In global travel retail (GTR), Irish whiskey producers continue to soar, competing with Scotch and Cognac in the channel. The category has experienced double-digit growth in GTR since late 2015.
According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, Irish whiskey accounted for 3% of GTR volumes in 2022. This reflects its significant role in the category. At the time, Irish whiskey was the fifth-largest market in the GTR, demonstrating the category’s importance.
However, with Irish whiskey representing only 3% of GTR volumes, there is great room for growth in the channel. However, the IWSR showed that Irish whiskey grew 66% in volume in 2023 in the GTR channel. The category is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% from 2022 to 2027.
Global Travel Retail Taking Prominence in Irish Whiskey Sales
“The growth of Irish whiskey continues to engage new shoppers in the channel,” says Roy Summers, head of GTR at Proximo Spirits, owner of Bushmills.
“Irish whiskey has always had exceptional quality credentials, along with a history and heritage second to none. There is a lot for passengers to discover and enjoy with Irish whiskey, of which Bushmills is a great example, with over 400 years of history and craftsmanship behind it.”
As per data from the International Air Transport Association, the industry isn’t expected to recover until 2025/2026. Teeling’s GTR channel is its third-largest after the US and Ireland. The distiller reported growth of 18% in 2023.
Co-founder Stephen Teeling says: “From when we started in 2012, we’ve partnered with the likes of Aer Rianta and Dufry, and in the past 12 months we’ve done three or four substantial projects. “As people are traveling, they’re actively looking for stuff they can only buy in duty free.”
At the beginning of 2024, Teeling created limited edition single malts for World Duty Free, but they are not the only ones. Redbreast partnered with Aer Rianta at Dublin and Cork airports this year to launch the Cuatro Barriles Edition.
