20 Irish drinks companies are in the US this week to take part in Tales of the Cocktail, a global cocktail conference event.
The companies represent Irish beer, cream liqueur, gin, poitín and vermouth producers and include Ahascragh, Baileys, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown Forman, Diageo, Dingle, Foxes Bow, Glendalough, Guinness, Hotaling, Intrepid, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Lafayette, Lost Irish, Lucas Bols, Mad March Hare, Mark Anthony, McCormick, MHW, Muff Liquor, Natterjack PM, Shanky's Whip, Slane Whiskey, Southern Glazers, Teeling, Tullamore DEW, Valentia Island, William Grant and Writer’s Tears / The Irishman.
Bord Bia is supporting the companies at the event in New Orleans from July 20 to 25 as part of programme of supports for the sector as it deals with difficult trading conditions.
Bord Bia said the event is part of global plan that also includes new routes to market as a diversification strategy for Irish drinks companies ahead of the looming threat of 30% US tariffs on Irish spirits.
Bord Bia's CEO Jim O'Toole said the US is an incredibly important market for Irish spirits, worth €860m to the economy last year.
"We hope that this event will drive commercial opportunities for Irish companies and an opportunity to showcase Irish spirits and their potential use in cocktails, a vastly underdeveloped space for Irish companies in the US," Mr O'Toole said.
He said that the Irish drinks industry is no stranger to global headwinds with inevitable upturns and downturns, so supporting companies to explore new avenues in the US and abroad at this challenging time is a priority.
"The resilience and ambition of these 20 companies participating in the conference in Louisiana next week is a testament to that spirit," he added.
Between 2010 and 2024 the number of working distilleries in Ireland jumped from four to more than 50. Last year Irish whiskey exports surpassed €1 billion.
Irish cream liqueur exports rose by 5% to €380m last year. Exports to the US and Canada accounted for over 60% of total cream liqueur exports and grew by 13% and 8% respectively last year.
