'We’ve seen positive market developments': European thirst for Irish whiskey creates export boost for Northern Ireland distillers
Exports of Irish whiskey to the EU have risen 21.5% in four years as Northern Ireland producers look to continental Europe for growth amid tougher trading conditions in the US
Europe is emerging as a major market for Irish whiskey from distilleries here and in other parts of the island.
Local distilleries are increasingly winning business in Europe as sales to the US are impacted adversely by tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Irish whiskey exports to the European Union, for instance, rose 21.5% by volume over the past four years, according to figures released
by the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA), the independent body which represents the industry in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
IWA said faster growth in southern and smaller EU markets was helping to offset weaker trading conditions outside Europe.
The industry group said the increase “reflects stronger demand across the bloc at a time when Irish drinks producers are looking more closely at the European single market as a source of steadier growth”.
David Boyd-Armstrong, joint founder of Shortcross Irish Whiskey and Irish Whiskey Bonders in Crossgar, backs this up: “We’ve seen positive market developments in Europe from our international marketing drive for our whiskeys, gins and poitin.”
Within the EU, Greece posted the sharpest reported rise in physical shipments of Irish whiskey, with export volume up 88 percent over the
four-year period. Italy followed with a 68 percent increase in volume. The association also said exports to Bulgaria rose 54 percent, but in that case it reported growth by value rather than by volume, making the Bulgarian figure not directly comparable with the gains reported for Greece and Italy.
Germany, Poland and France remain the biggest EU markets for Irish whiskey, with combined exports worth around £90 million, the association
said. It did not specify which year that figure covers, leaving unclear whether it refers to the most recent full year, a rolling period or the same four-year window used for the volume data.
Michael Morris, the Belfast-based founder of An Gael blended Irish whiskey, said the company had chosen a major event in Berlin to launch
the new spirit because of “the growing interest in Germany”.
“Germany is becoming an extremely interested in Irish whiskey because of the distinctive flavour of the whiskey,” he adds.
He is among the most experienced and successful of Irish whiskey marketers.
Old Bushmills, Northern Ireland’s biggest whiskey exporter continues to prosper from its sharp global marketing focus on Europe and other markets. And Two Stacks in Newry has seen business grow there and also across Scandinavia especially in markets such as Finland. The company’s development of the ‘Dram in a Can’ has helped boost sales. The bonding business was the first to produce Irish whiskey in a can for global markets.
The data was released after an Irish spirits showcase in Galway in July that brought together producers and EU officials. The association used the event to emphasise the importance of the single market for Irish distillers and cream liqueur makers as the sector faces tariff and non-tariff barriers in other international markets. Europe has become a more important counterweight as trade conditions in North America have become less favourable for some drinks exporters.
Eoin Ó Catháin, IWA director, says the recent gains “suggest a change in how consumers in Europe are buying premium spirits”.
He adds that continued policy support for the single market will be important if producers are to keep expanding in the region. The IWA is urging governments and EU institutions to continue efforts to harmonize rules across the bloc, arguing that a more consistent regulatory environment would help sustain export growth.
IWA also pointed to gains in other Irish spirits categories. It said Irish cream exports to France rose 32% in 2025 from a year earlier, while exports to Germany increased 19%. Those figures suggest broader momentum for Irish drinks in continental Europe, not only for whiskey.
Irish producers are also using the current push in Europe to promote three protected geographical indications: Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream and Irish Poitín. Industry groups say those labels help protect authenticity and origin, while also supporting rural employment, tourism and investment in distilling. The Galway event featured brands including Clonakilty Irish Whiskey, Dingle Irish Whiskey, Power’s Irish Whiskey and Five Farms Irish Cream. Northern Ireland is also a major producer of Irish cream from Baileys at Newtownabbey, Killowen in Rostrevor and Two Stacks in Newry.
The association further said Irish spirits account for about one-third of EU spirit exports, a claim intended to underline the sector’s importance to the bloc’s drinks trade and the economies of both parts of Ireland.
The figures point to a clear pattern. Irish whiskey is growing faster in parts of southern and eastern Europe than in some of its more mature markets, while Germany, France and Poland still provide the largest base of sales in the region.