The Irish Whiskey Association has said proposed legislation on restricting alcohol advertising would damage the Irish whiskey tourism sector and small distillers around Ireland.
The IWA is calling for changes to be made to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill and has described the restrictions as "excessive, impractical, and, in some cases, ludicrous".
It says that, under the current Bill, nearly all outdoor advertising and directional signage for distillery visitor centres would be prohibited in dense urban areas such as Dublin.
It will also affect distillery visitor centres located in busy provincial towns.
The head of the Association, William Lavelle. said it was ludicrous to think that at a time when the Government was promoting 'Ireland's Hidden Heartlands', those running the Tullamore D.E.W. visitor centre would not be allowed to erect named signs in their home town.
The IWA says there are 13 whiskey distillery visitor centres across the country, with plans for an additional 13 centres to open in the coming years.
Under the Bill, free-standing directional or way-marking signage containing the name of a distillery or alcohol brand would be banned from display at any Luas or bus stop, or within 200 metres of any boundary of a school or early-years facility.
