A selection of Jameson Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey bottles on display in a Duty-Free shop at Dublin Airport, in Dublin, Ireland, on February 17, 2023. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP)
Irish whiskey, the world's fastest-growing spirits category year-over-year since 2010, is reportedly finding a foothold in China as international brands wrestle over the lucrative market.
CGTN Europe, an international news arm operated by the Chinese government, published a video Sunday detailing the rise of Irish whiskey across the region. Surrounded by barrels in a distillery loading bay, a newscaster declared that worldwide whisky imports to China are projected to reach $2 billion by 2025. The segment included an interview with John Teeling, a businessman widely credited with revitalizing the Irish whiskey industry in the late 1980s and 1990s.
"The future of Irish whiskey is in Asia. China with 450 million coming into the middle class — and it's the middle class that want to drink imported spirits —and the young people, they're the ones who want to drink fresh new drinks," Teeling said.
Other sources paint a similar picture. The Irish Food Board recently announced that Irish whiskey imports to China grew nearly sevenfold between 2018 and 2022.
With projected growth on the horizon, big names are angling to move in fast. In April, delegates from the Irish Whiskey Association met with distributors and marketers in the country as a part of an EU agri-trade mission. Redbreast Irish Whiskey, Teeling Whiskey and Dingle Distillery all reportedly featured prominently.
The Irish whiskey push coincides with a divisive crossroads in the Chinese import industry. Behind the scenes, a complicated battle with EU officials appears to be pegging clear winners and losers in the market.
Last week, China indicated it would levy tariffs on European brandy before the end of August, the latest move in an escalating trade scuff now targeting electric cars and pork products. If implemented, the brandy tariffs would deal a debilitating blow to the French cognac industry, which reportedly shipped 35 million bottles to China in 2023.
Imported alternatives are now being conspicuously positioned as the next top dog. It should be noted that CGTN Europe published a similar segment in April detailing the rise of Irish whiskey, possibly signaling continued interest from Chinese officials in supporting the growing spirits category.
[botmc-promo]
