EU-India trade deal to deliver immediate tariff cut for Irish whiskey

"John Teeling, the whiskey entrepreneur who founded the Great Northern Distillery outside Dundalk, says the company is already selling blended whiskey product into India that has been specially formulated and branded for that market. It's being imported by local partners there. Mr Teeling said he was previously concerned that Great Northern Distillery was primarily focused on the US market. Now he says that India and the broader Asian market including countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand could become significant markets for Irish whiskey."

"In 2023, India's imports of distilled spirits - dominated by scotch, with a 69pc share - were worth $572m (€480m). One of the brands that has been developed by a local Indian company for the market there is Irish Spirit, which is provided by Great Northern Distillery. It hit the shelves last September. Another is called Aodh and was launched late last year, again supplied by Great Northern Distillery."

"Mr Teeling said the foray into India for Great Northern Distillery is still "toe in the water stuff", but that orders so far for the market would likely be for a total of about 200,000 bottles for a year. "It's very much a learning curve for them and for us," he said. "But I think the Indian market for Irish whiskey could end up being as big as the US market.""

Great Northern Distillery is already exporting a blended Irish whiskey specially formulated and branded for India, imported by local partners. The company shifted focus from primarily the US market toward India and broader Asian markets such as China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand as potential growth areas. India's 2023 imports of distilled spirits, dominated by scotch with a 69% share, were worth $572m (€480m). Local brands supplied by the distillery include Irish Spirit and Aodh, developed by Indian companies. Initial orders for India are roughly 200,000 bottles annually. Aodh retails around €36 per 750ml bottle, positioning Irish whiskey as a premium product in India.

Read at Irish Independent