Irish gin producers want to treble sales by 2022, with the aim to sell five million bottles or 400,000 9-litre cases around the world, according to the Irish Spirits Association (ISA).
Today, the ISA has launched a Strategy for Irish Gin 2018-2022, which aims to promote the worldwide growth of Irish gin over the next five years by developing world-leading standards for quality and authenticity.
Gin producer and Chairman of the Irish Gin Working Group – which has developed this strategy – Pat Rigney says there are roughly about 15 producers of Irish gin at present, with around five more expected to come on-stream in the next year.
Mr Rigney, who also owns the Shed Distillery in Co Leitrim, said as part of the new strategy five markets in particular are being targeted.
Listen to the full interview with Pat Rigney from Morning Ireland Business:
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"We want to focus on five markets. In particular the US obviously, the UK, Spain – which is a significant gin market - also Germany. We also want to focus here in Ireland. Having a strong homebase is really important to establish your brand.
"The first question you get asked overseas is ‘how is your brand doing at home?’"
With regard to impending regulation surrounding the Alcohol Bill, Mr Rigney said labelling proposals in the public health bill are a key concern.
"We are all for responsible alcohol consumption and the alcohol bill that’s before us now, a lot of it we very much support.
"In relation to labelling, putting a health warning, which is proposed on the packaging up to a third of a label, is a deep concern particularly to the small producers in terms of cost.
"We‘re very proud of our product, we’re very proud of Irish food and brand Ireland and to have a health warning on our gin would be a deep concern to us, not just here but overseas, and also sends a bad message about the quality of Irish food."
Mr Rigney said if producers are made to put cancer warnings on alcohol labels "you would have to really put it on most of the foods in the supermarket, because apparently now just about everything has some connection to cancer".
Another challenge to the Irish spirit industry as the market grows will be to retain the quality of the product and put in relevant procedures, according to Mr Rigney.
"We’ll be very much focused on that space in the coming months, working with the department of Agriculture.
"Irish Whiskey have done a wonderful job with the Irish Whiskey and the Irish Spirits Association – we have a geographical indicator now, which protects Irish Whiskey. That has had tremendous resonance not just here, but overseas as well with our consumers and traders. We want to do the same for Irish Gin."
