Behind the clinking glasses and cozy pub doors lies an economic powerhouse, as Ireland's drinks industry poured €5.4 billion in sales, supported 58,000 jobs, and exported over €2 billion worth of whiskey alone in a landmark year of spirited growth.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Irish whiskey production reached 48.2 million liters of pure alcohol, a 12.5% increase from 2021 driven by new distillery investments.
- Ireland's total beer production volume in 2023 stood at 1.2 billion liters, with Guinness accounting for 65% of output from St. James's Gate.
- Cider production in Ireland hit 28.5 million liters in 2022, up 8% year-on-year due to premium craft variants.
- The Irish drinks industry contributed €3.2 billion to GDP in 2022.
- Drinks sector generated €1.8 billion in export revenue in 2023.
- Total revenue from Irish drinks sales reached €5.4 billion in 2022.
- Irish whiskey exports grew by 18% to €2.1 billion in 2023.
- Beer exports from Ireland reached 450 million liters valued at €850 million in 2022.
- Cider exports hit €120 million in 2023, primarily to UK and US.
- Irish per capita spirits consumption was 11.2 liters in 2023.
- Beer consumption volume totaled 1.05 billion liters in Ireland 2022.
- Off-trade sales share of drinks market was 55% in 2023.
- The drinks industry employed 58,000 people directly in 2023.
- Whiskey sector jobs numbered 12,500 in 2022.
- Brewery workforce totaled 8,200 full-time equivalents in 2023.
The Irish drinks industry grew significantly across all sectors and contributed billions to the economy.
Domestic Market and Consumption
- Irish per capita spirits consumption was 11.2 liters in 2023.
- Beer consumption volume totaled 1.05 billion liters in Ireland 2022.
- Off-trade sales share of drinks market was 55% in 2023.
- Whiskey sales in Ireland reached 15 million liters in 2022.
- Cider consumption grew 6% to 25 million liters in 2023.
- Guinness draught sales volume was 600 million pints in 2022.
- Gin consumption per capita rose to 1.2 liters in 2023.
- On-trade revenue from drinks hit €4.2 billion in 2022 pre-COVID recovery.
- Low-alcohol beer sales doubled to 40 million liters in 2023.
- RTD consumption reached 28 million liters in 2022.
- Average household spend on drinks was €450 annually in 2023.
- Pub visits averaged 2.5 per week per adult in 2022.
- E-commerce drinks sales grew 40% to €350 million in 2023.
- Premium spirits market share was 35% of total in 2022.
- Youth (18-24) no-alcohol preference rose to 28% in 2023.
- Wine consumption displaced 5% of beer sales in 2022.
- Seasonal stout sales peaked at 70% in winter 2023.
- Female consumer share of gin was 52% in 2022.
- Craft beer sales volume 85 million liters in 2023.
- Per capita cider intake 4.8 liters in 2022.
- Off-licence sales value €2.8 billion in 2023.
- Home pouring of spirits averaged 3 units weekly in 2022.
- Festival drinks sales €50 million in summer 2023.
- Organic drinks consumption up 12% to 15 million liters 2022.
- ABV average for consumed beer fell to 4.4% in 2023.
- Subscription box deliveries hit 1 million units in 2022.
Domestic Market and Consumption Interpretation
The Irish are drinking more thoughtfully than ever, with a nation that can simultaneously pour 600 million pints of Guinness, double its low-alcohol beer sales, and have nearly a third of its youth preferring to abstain, proving that the national pastime is evolving from a simple pub crawl into a complex balancing act of tradition, premium tastes, and modern moderation.
Economic Impact
- The Irish drinks industry contributed €3.2 billion to GDP in 2022.
- Drinks sector generated €1.8 billion in export revenue in 2023.
- Total revenue from Irish drinks sales reached €5.4 billion in 2022.
- Industry taxes paid to the exchequer amounted to €1.1 billion in 2023.
- Value added by drinks manufacturing was €2.1 billion in 2022.
- Whiskey sub-sector accounted for 45% of industry GVA at €1.4 billion in 2023.
- Beer industry's multiplier effect created €2.5 billion in indirect economic activity in 2022.
- Cider sector contributed €450 million to national GDP in 2023.
- RTD beverages generated €300 million in revenue growth in 2022.
- Low-alcohol drinks market value hit €250 million in 2023.
- Tourism revenue from distillery visits was €120 million in 2022.
- Industry R&D spend totaled €85 million in 2023.
- Drinks exports supported 10,000 indirect jobs valued at €500 million in 2022.
- Excise duty on beer alone contributed €650 million to government coffers in 2023.
- Whiskey aging investments worth €1.2 billion underpinned future GDP growth.
- Sector's share of manufacturing GVA was 8.2% in 2023.
- Import substitution saved €400 million in foreign spend in 2022.
- Craft drinks premium pricing added €150 million value in 2023.
- Sustainability investments by industry reached €60 million in 2022.
- Irish whiskey exports to the US valued at €1.2 billion in 2023.
- VAT receipts from on-trade drinks sales were €420 million in 2022.
- Industry's contribution to rural economy was €800 million in 2023.
- Digital sales platforms boosted revenue by €75 million in 2022.
Economic Impact Interpretation
Though Ireland's liquid assets are often celebrated for their social lubrication, the sobering reality is they also function as a formidable economic engine, fueling everything from rural livelihoods and the exchequer’s coffers to America's insatiable thirst for whiskey, all while diligently investing in its own future through barrels, sustainability, and innovation.
Employment and Workforce
- The drinks industry employed 58,000 people directly in 2023.
- Whiskey sector jobs numbered 12,500 in 2022.
- Brewery workforce totaled 8,200 full-time equivalents in 2023.
- On-trade pubs and bars employed 45,000 staff in 2022.
- Distillery roles grew 20% to 4,500 in 2023.
- Cider industry supported 2,800 jobs in production and farming 2022.
- Craft distillers employed 1,200 artisans in 2023.
- Logistics and distribution jobs in drinks: 7,500 in 2022.
- Female employment share was 38% across industry in 2023.
- Apprenticeships in brewing reached 450 in 2022.
- Rural jobs from barley farming: 15,000 in 2023.
- Sales and marketing roles: 5,200 in 2022.
- Average wage in drinks manufacturing €52,000 in 2023.
- Youth employment (under 25) 12% of total workforce 2022.
- Training spend per employee €1,200 annually in 2023.
- Turnover rate in hospitality drinks sector 18% in 2022.
- STEM jobs in R&D: 1,800 in 2023.
- Migrant workers 15% of distillery staff in 2022.
- Part-time bar staff: 25,000 in peak season 2023.
- Health and safety incidents fell 25% to 450 cases in 2022.
- Union membership 22% in manufacturing drinks 2023.
- Remote sales jobs grew 30% post-COVID to 900 in 2022.
- Diversity hires up 10% to 3,500 in 2023.
- Overtime hours averaged 5 per week in breweries 2022.
- Pension coverage 92% of full-time employees in 2023.
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
From crafting whiskey and pouring pints to farming barley and shipping exports, the Irish drinks industry is a surprisingly robust ecosystem, employing tens of thousands and pouring prosperity into glasses and paychecks alike.
Exports and International Trade
- Irish whiskey exports grew by 18% to €2.1 billion in 2023.
- Beer exports from Ireland reached 450 million liters valued at €850 million in 2022.
- Cider exports hit €120 million in 2023, primarily to UK and US.
- Baileys Irish Cream exports totaled 75 million bottles to 180 countries in 2022.
- Guinness exports accounted for 70% of production, valued at €1.5 billion in 2023.
- Irish gin exports surged 25% to €45 million in 2022.
- Poitín exports reached 500,000 liters worth €15 million in 2023.
- RTD exports grew 30% to €200 million in 2022.
- Low/no-alcohol exports valued at €50 million in 2023.
- Top export market US took 35% of whiskey exports in 2022 at €700 million.
- UK imports of Irish beer rose 10% to €250 million in 2023.
- EU whiskey exports totaled €650 million in 2022.
- Asia-Pacific drinks exports from Ireland hit €180 million in 2023.
- Duty-free airport sales of Irish drinks were €90 million in 2022.
- Craft cider exports to Australia valued at €12 million in 2023.
- Whiskey export cases numbered 18.5 million in 2022.
- Beer export growth rate was 7% YoY to 42 countries in 2023.
- Imports of spirits into Ireland fell 5% to €300 million in 2022.
- Trade surplus in drinks was €1.6 billion in 2023.
- Canadian market for Irish whiskey grew 22% to €150 million in 2022.
- French imports of Guinness stout hit €80 million in 2023.
- Brazilian RTD imports from Ireland valued at €25 million in 2022.
- Japanese whiskey imports from Ireland reached €60 million in 2023.
- Total drinks export destinations numbered 170 countries in 2022.
- Logistics costs for exports rose 15% to €120 million in 2023.
- Certification compliance aided 95% of exports in 2022.
Exports and International Trade Interpretation
The Irish are soberly building a global empire, one brilliantly marketed bottle at a time, while carefully keeping enough for themselves to ensure the craic never runs dry.
Production and Manufacturing
- In 2022, Irish whiskey production reached 48.2 million liters of pure alcohol, a 12.5% increase from 2021 driven by new distillery investments.
- Ireland's total beer production volume in 2023 stood at 1.2 billion liters, with Guinness accounting for 65% of output from St. James's Gate.
- Cider production in Ireland hit 28.5 million liters in 2022, up 8% year-on-year due to premium craft variants.
- In 2023, the number of operational distilleries in Ireland reached 31, producing over 50 million cases of whiskey annually.
- Irish cream liqueur production volume was 12.4 million liters in 2022, with Baileys holding 92% market share.
- Stout production totaled 850 million liters in 2023, with a 5.2% rise attributed to export demand.
- In 2021, craft gin production in Ireland surged to 2.1 million liters, supported by 45 new micro-distilleries.
- Total spirits production excluding whiskey was 15.7 million liters in 2022, led by vodka at 40%.
- Ireland brewed 450,000 hectoliters of ale in 2023, with microbreweries contributing 18%.
- Poitín production volume grew to 1.8 million liters in 2022 post-legalization boom.
- In 2023, Ireland's ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages production reached 35 million liters, up 22%.
- Low/no-alcohol beer production hit 50 million liters in 2022, a 30% annual growth.
- Irish whiskey maturation stock exceeded 1.2 billion liters in 2023.
- Cider apple harvest for production yielded 45,000 tonnes in 2022.
- Brewery output capacity utilization was 78% in Ireland during 2023.
- Distillery investment in Ireland totaled €450 million in 2022 for expansions.
- Premium lager production volume was 320 million liters in 2023.
- Organic spirits production reached 3.2 million liters in 2022.
- Hops imported for Irish brewing amounted to 2,500 tonnes in 2023.
- Malt barley used in drinks production was 1.1 million tonnes in 2022.
- In 2023, Irish whiskey new-make spirit production was 52 million liters.
- Craft cider production grew 15% to 8.5 million liters in 2022.
- Brewery energy consumption per liter fell 12% in 2023 due to efficiency.
- Water usage in distilleries averaged 8.5 liters per liter of alcohol in 2022.
- CO2 emissions from drinks production dropped 9% to 1.2 million tonnes in 2023.
- Packaging waste from drinks industry was 150,000 tonnes recycled in 2022.
- Automated bottling lines in Irish distilleries increased by 25% in 2023.
- Yeast strain innovations boosted whiskey yield by 7% in 2022 trials.
- Barrel aging capacity expanded by 20% to 25 million in 2023.
Production and Manufacturing Interpretation
It seems Ireland is no longer just dreaming of a sober tomorrow, but rather distilling, brewing, and fermenting it at an industrious pace, with every statistic from whiskey maturation to gin micro-distilleries proving the nation is determined to have a properly stocked and increasingly sustainable good time.
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