An industry report shows spirits exports from the Irish Republic declined by 16 per cent last year. This was probably caused the closure of hospitality venues and other consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual market report from Drinks Ireland|Spirits the value of spirits exports falling last year to €990 million from €1.18 billion in 2019.
The export fall comes on the back of a number of years of strong growth, with the value of exports growing by 83.6 per cent between 2014 and 2019.
The decline last year was due in part to the collapse of global travel retail; the second largest market for Irish whiskey and fourth largest for Irish cream liqueur prior to Covid-19.
The most popular export markets for Irish spirits which are protected by EU rules last year were the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Ireland respectively.