Two Stacks in Newry and McConnell’s Whisky of Belfast named as ‘Brands of Watch’

Interestingly, two Northern Ireland brands are named as ‘Brands of Watch’ in 2023 by the key industry magazine.

The two brands are Two Stacks in Newry and McConnell’s Whisky of Belfast.

John Kelly, CE of Belfast Distillery, which produces McConnell’s, a brand that has a rich heritage dating back to the 18th century, says: “It is worth noting that there are currently more than 40 Irish whiskey distilleries on the island of Ireland, which is tremendous growth over the past 15 years – with this growth will come more innovation.

“Particular attention is being paid to the category’s growth in the premium-and-above segments, as drinkers lean towards drinking less but reaching for the premium spirits.”

By the end of the year, McConnell’s is expected to be available in 25 markets, a “significant expansion in comparison with last year”, explains John.

Global interest is clearly growing in the historic brand especially as it has announced it is building its J&J McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience at the former Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast, which is scheduled to open next autumn.

The brand will also support whiskey tourism to attract more visitors to Northern Ireland and its historic home in north Belfast. Plus, McConnell’s will be targeting strong double-digit growth to win a greater “share in the very competitive Irish whiskey category”, according to John.

Two Stacks is described as “a disruptive brand that surpassed its targets in 2022”.

“We aimed to increase its five export distribution partnerships to 15 this year, and completely smashed this target, with more than 25 new export partners”, says co-founder Shane McCarthy.

Its year-on-year growth in revenue has also hit 50% from this time last year, Shane continues. Next year, the brand hopes to “throw the rule book out the window” as it attempts to expand its global footprint, spotlight innovation and promote its new Double Irish Cream Liqueur, which launched this month. The liqueur features more whiskey including from an Irish pot still, a unique ingredient.

The company also pioneered the development of the first single malt in a can, a global innovation that’s proving a major success in export markets such as the US.

McCarthy, who founded the business with partners Liam Brogan and Donal MacLynn, adds that the company is benefiting from the opening of a new blending and bottling plant in Newry. It has also won major awards for whiskey’s including the Polaris sequence in the important Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) awards in Dublin. Bespoke whiskeys were produced for public houses in Ireland during as part of its focus on special blends and bottlings.

The report continues that Jameson, the World Whisky Brand Champion 2022, remains the world’s biggest-selling Irish whiskey.

On a global basis, Irish whiskey’s sales climbed by almost half a million nine-litre cases in one year: it reported 11.5m case sales in 2021, which are expected to reach 11.9 million in 2022, according to Euromonitor International.

In 2023, Irish whiskey is forecast to hit a record 12.6 million cases sales.

William Lavelle, IWA director, says the category’s growth in the premium sector is also down to “continuing consumer interest in new and premium expressions”.

However, Irish whiskey is not without obstacles to growth. Lavelle explains. The war in Ukraine is expected to have an impact on export sales. Last year both Russian and Ukraine accounted for 7% of global exports. There are also challenges facing producers, such as supply-chain issues.

IWA’s International Trade Report 2022 found “92% of Irish whiskey producers surveyed said supply-chain delays have negatively affected their recent production output, and will likely hit future production output too. Yet, producers are optimistic about expansion – particularly in the US”. Following the Distilled Spirits Council of the US reporting sales of Irish whiskey in the States grew by 17.8% in 2021, while sales of Scotch grew by just 3.3%, the IWA projected that Irish whiskey sales in the US would overtake Scotch sales this decade, returning to the situation before US Prohibition ban on whiskey a century ago.

With investments seen in Ireland, such as Sazerac acquiring Lough Gill Distillery in Sligo in June this year, and Sliabh Liag Distillers launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise €2m (US$2.14m) to boost its production capacity to 600,000 litres per year in the same month, the future looks bright for Irish whiskey. Master distiller of Lough Gill is Helen Mulholland, who previously held a senior position as master blender at Old Bushmills in Co Antrim.