As people across prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day next week, there already seems to be a lot of the the luck of the Irish in America.
That’s because Irish whiskey continues to boom in the U.S. The category was up 18.7% in volume to 3.8 million cases last year, according to data released this week by the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS), while category revenues grew an impressive 19.8% to $795 million.
Much of this growth is fueled by the rise of high-end and super-premium Irish whiskeys, DISCUS reports, which grew a whopping 736% and 3456%, respectively, since 2002.
“Increased growth of premium Irish whiskey reflects the upward trend of adult consumers’ interest in luxury spirits products,” said Distilled Spirits Council Senior Vice President Frank Coleman. “Irish Whiskey’s smooth flavor profile makes it particularly appealing to adult consumers who are new to the whiskey category.”
Especially female drinkers, who may not want that bite that comes from “tougher” whiskeys like bourbon and Scotch.
This all comes as more good news for the booming Irish whiskey category, which is expected to double its exports by 2020.
