IrishWhiskey360° unveiled – the new brand and home for Irish whiskey tourism.
Minister Michael Creed launches new Irish whiskey tourism brand and website to coincide with Taste the Island food and drink tourism campaign
- Visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries and visitor centres to break one million this year as industry targets 1.7 million visitors by 2025.
- IWA: “IrishWhiskey360° aims to make Ireland the No. 1 destination in the world for whiskey tourism.”
Drinks Ireland | Irish Whiskey Association has today unveiled IrishWhiskey360° – the new brand and home for Irish whiskey tourism. IrishWhiskey360° celebrates the one shared spirit and many unique characters of the Irish whiskey industry. In phase one, it will focus on spotlighting 17 Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres or brand homes operated by members of Drinks Ireland | Irish Whiskey Association. The IrishWhiskey360° brand, website and social media platforms were today launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Michael Creed TD, at an event in The Jameson Experience, Bow Street, Dublin. The Minister was joined at the launch by Mr David Stapleton, Chairman of Drinks Ireland | Irish Whiskey Association and Mr Paul Kelly, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland.
In 2018 there were 923,000 visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries, up 13% compared to 2017 and up 41% compared to 2015. 45% of visitors in 2018 came from North America, 14% from Great Britain, 12% from Ireland, 8% from Germany and 7% from France. Visits to Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres are set to exceed one million this year. Commenting on the launch, William Lavelle, Head of Irish Whiskey Association in Drink Ireland said: “IrishWhiskey360° aims to make Ireland the No. 1 destination in the world for whiskey tourism.
“Visitors to Irish whiskey distilleries and visitor centres are set to break the one million mark this year for the first time ever. The Irish Whiskey Tourism Strategy, which we published in 2016, sets out an ambitious target of 1.7 million visitors by 2025. The fantastic collaborative approach taken by distilleries, visitor centres and state agencies – which is central to IrishWhiskey360° project – will ensure we reach this target.
The launch of IrishWhiskey360° supports the Government’s FoodWise 2025 strategy which calls on industry and state agencies to work collaboratively to develop an Irish whiskey and food pairing trail as a major tourist attraction.
Welcoming the launch of IrishWhiskey360°, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, stated:
“Irish whiskey is one of the real success stories of the Irish food and drink industry, competing on the world stage with sales in over 135 markets. The industry has grown from just four distilleries in 2013 to 26 operational distilleries in 2019. “It has made a huge contribution to Ireland’s tourism industry, attracting almost one million visitors to 17 Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres and brand homes all over the country. I am delighted to launch IrishWhiskey360° as it has massive potential to bring more visitors and more jobs to cities, towns and rural communities right across Ireland.”
On Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th October, supported by Fáilte Ireland as part of Taste the Island, IrishWhiskey360° will coordinate over 30 events and promotions in distilleries, brand homes and Irish whiskey visitor centres across the country and in conjunction with the on-trade. The planned events and promotions range across free and discounted tours, open days, whiskey tastings and food pairings, cooperage demonstrations, meet the distiller’s talks and more. More information and a detailed festival schedule will be published in the coming weeks. Welcoming the collaborative approach between the Irish whiskey industry and Fáilte Ireland, Mr Paul Kelly, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland stated:
“The Festival of Irish Whiskey is a perfect example of how, by working together, we can develop compelling visitor experiences that can attract more international visitors to Ireland and boost the country’s reputation for its food and drink. Fáilte Ireland is delighted to support the festival and include it in our Taste the Island programme of events which is designed to create more opportunities to spread visitors across Ireland outside of the traditionally busy summer months.
Phase one will include:
Launch of the new brand;
A new website www.IrishWhiskey360.ie with an interactive map and links to 17 visitor centres/brands homes;
Social media platforms;
Development and promotion of digital content;
Printed material and maps;
Festival of Irish Whiskey.
The subsequent phases of IrishWhiskey360° will include:
Regionalised campaigns and materials linking in with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI regional brands and teams;
Inclusion of further Irish whiskey tourism partners including in the on-trade;
Media activation in major markets (US, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain) included translated versions.
List of IrishWhiskey360° visitor centres/brands homes
Jameson Experience, Bow Street, Dublin 1
Teeling Whiskey Distillery, Dublin 8
Pearse Lyons Distillery, Dublin 8
Dublin Liberties Distillery, Dublin 8
Roe & Co Distillery, Dublin 8
Jameson Distillery, Midleton, Co. Cork
Dingle Distillery, Co. Kerry
Clonakilty Distillery, Co. Cork
Kilbeggan Distillery, Co. Westmeath
Tullamore D.E.W. visitor centre, Co. Offaly
Slane Distillery, Co. Meath
Royal Oak Distillery, Co. Carlow
Powerscourt Distillery, Co. Wicklow
Bushmills Distillery, Co. Antrim
The Echlinville Distillery, Co. Down
Rademon Estate Distillery, Co. Down
Connacht Whiskey Distillery, Co. Mayo
