爱尔兰威士忌在旅游零售渠道将超越苏格兰威士忌 IWSR数据揭示增长新格局

The Irish whiskey category is gaining depth and a lengthening ladder of price points at airport shops outside of Ireland.

*This feature was originally published in the May 2026 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.

Irish whiskey has traditionally played second fiddle to Scotch in travel retail, but the category is now set to outperform its much larger rival across the Irish Sea.

Before the turn of the Millennium, the typical assortment in airport shops globally would rarely extend beyond the big three of Jameson, Bushmills, and Tullamore Dew, but the Irish whiskey business has experienced a massive resurgence this century, with more than 40 new distilleries firing up their stills.

Outside of Ireland, the range of Irish whiskeys offered at leading international hubs is yet to reflect this dynamic expansion. Yet the category's upward growth trajectory, reflecting its increasing popularity worldwide, is undeniable, according to Charlotte Reid, senior insights manager, global travel retail (GTR), at IWSR. She reveals Irish whiskey in GTR could grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3% in volume to 2029, outshining Scotch, which will only increase by a CAGR of 1% over the same period.

"Irish whiskey shows no sign of plateauing, with growth forecast within all price tiers driven by increased shelf space and activity for the category," she adds. "The US is the largest market for Irish whiskey by volume, but growth is not just limited to the US or Ireland. Asia Pacific markets such as India, the Philippines, and Japan are gaining traction."

On a more granular level, Reid explains that Irish whiskey's brightest prospects for high-volume growth lie among adventurous shoppers in markets such as Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the US, searching for niche but "approachable" additions to their home whisky collections.