The throngs of visitors sipping delightfully neat whiskies, whiskey cocktails and whiskey coffees suggested more people were converting to the Irish side of a competition that has 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 crash. The Irish ignored new technologies, limited exports during the US prohibition in the 1920s and were caught in a trade war with the UK. Scotland seized its opportunity and increased global exports, establishing scotch as a synonym for all types of whisky. “We’ve gone from 60% to 2% in the US, that’s some trick,” said John Teeling, a cadet of Irish whiskey producers. He then smiled: “But I think we’ll be overtaking the Scots by the end of the decade. It’s going to be a huge party when that happens.” After decades of silence, Irish whiskey is roaring back. From just four distilleries operating in 2010, there are now 42 on the island of Ireland. Annual global sales rose 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 last year to a record $1.3 billion, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. If the trend continues, US sales of Irish whiskey – currently 5.9 million cases – will overtake Scotch, which has grown to about 8 million cases, by 2030. Globally, however, scotch sales, at 1.3 billion bottles, still dwarf its Irish rival, which sells 190 million bottles. “We’re still playing catch-up after decades of underperformance when scotch basically stole our breakfast,” said Jack Teeling, John’s son and managing director of Teeling Whisky. It’s a bigger game now – the global whiskey market hovered at $80 billion over the past decade, but is forecast to jump to more than $100 billion by 2024, according to consumer data firm Statista. Japanese brands, too, have exploded in popularity, earning $340 million in sales last year. Kilbeggan Distillery. From just four distilleries operating 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 bars and liquor stores in the US. For Irish distillers, surpassing Scotch in the US would be a psychological boost and correct a centuries-old fiasco in the world’s biggest market. It would also underline the ambition to challenge Scotland’s continued dominance elsewhere, including in Britain. “The UK has been a graveyard for Irish whiskey,” said John Teeling. “Not anymore.” Celebrities have launched their own Irish whiskey brands, 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 marked the revival of Irish whiskey a decade ago, when the Jameson brand was featured in songs by Rihanna and Lady Gaga and on the TV shows Mad Men and South Park. “There wasn’t a moment when the light changed and suddenly Irish whiskey was back in style,” 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, the second-biggest market, have stalled 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 home of whisky. 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 group of producers in the Liberties area of Dublin supplied much of the world. However, they shunned innovation – like a new kind of pot still – and shrank during US Prohibition and Ireland’s trade war with Britain in the 1930s. Scotch whiskey – which omits the ‘e’ – filled the void of more peaty, darker offerings. Ireland’s traditionally smoother fare has developed a reputation for blandness. By the 1980s, Ireland had only two distilleries producing a small fraction of Scotland’s output. The recovery began when French drinks giant Pernod Ricard bought Irish Distillers, giving multinational clout to the Jameson brand, and the Teeling family opened a new distillery, encouraging other newcomers. The Irish experimented with new flavors, methods and cocktails – a level of freedom denied to Scottish producers, who operate under stricter rules – and won over drinkers in the US. Some, however, remain confused by the terminology, causing John Teeling to cringe. “I’ve had people come up to me and say ‘your Scotch is great’.
