€3 million EU co-funded campaign to promote Irish Whiskey GI in India and Japan launched today
Bord Bia and the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) have today launched a €3 million, three-year EU co-funded campaign to promote Irish Whiskey GI and European Geographical Indication (GI) spirits in Japan and India.
The Spirits of Europe – GI campaign, which will commence in 2027, will promote European GI spirits, with a particular focus on Irish Whiskey. It marks the first EU co-funded promotion campaign to feature Irish spirits, with €2.4 million in European Union support secured at an 80% co-funding rate and €600,000 in matching industry funding.
The campaign forms part of the European Union’s “Enjoy, it’s from Europe” promotion policy, which supports campaigns designed to open new markets, diversify trade partners and raise awareness of EU quality, safety and sustainability standards.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of Irish Whiskey GI and the diversity of the category among buyers, distributors, wholesalers, bartenders and on-trade decision makers in Japan and India. Funding will support dedicated sector specialists in both markets, working directly with trade, alongside participation in trade shows and targeted trade media activity.
Irish Whiskey’s geographical indication (GI) status protects its name, origin and production standards. The Spirits of Europe – GI campaign secured funding through a highly competitive EU application process. The Irish Whiskey GI application was submitted under the Third Country - All Markets category, which received 97 applications, of which just 25 were approved for funding.
Irish Whiskey exports were worth €930 million in 2025, accounting for 43% of Ireland’s total drinks exports. While the US, EU and UK remain its largest export markets by value, Irish Whiskey distillers have increasingly focused on market diversification in recent years, increasing the importance of emerging markets such as India and Japan.
According to IWSR, India is Irish Whiskey’s second-largest market by volume, with sales growing more than twelvefold over the past five years, despite a 150% tariff on exports to India. The recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement is expected to enter into force next year. It will immediately halve the tariff before reducing it to 40% over the following seven years. These reductions will be key to growing Irish Whiskey sales in the world’s largest whiskey market.
The Japanese market has been a similar success story for Irish Whiskey, with sales volumes growing by 305% since 2020, according to IWSR. Japan has a long history of whiskey distilling, but its market has also sought out offerings from other established whiskey-producing nations in recent years.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, welcomed the investment in a key sector for Irish agri-food exports. He said:
“Irish Whiskey is one of our great agri-food success stories, and the successful EU co-funding promotional campaign shows how strongly it competes on the world stage. Our distilleries are important employers in every corner of the country, especially in rural communities. This Government is committed to helping them diversify into new markets. With the EU-India Free Trade Agreement set to cut tariffs sharply for Irish spirits and demand for our drinks offering growing in Japan every year, this campaign could not come at a better time.”
Jim O’Toole, chief executive officer of Bord Bia, said: “This campaign marks an important milestone for Irish Whiskey and its long-term growth. Japan and India offer significant opportunities to build awareness of and develop the category in new markets. Securing EU support in a highly competitive funding round reflects the strength of this initiative. It will help the industry build on the progress already made in these two strategically important markets.”
Eoin Ó Catháin, Director of the Irish Whiskey Association, said: “Irish Whiskey is the cornerstone of Irish drinks exports, with 95% of the Irish Whiskey we distil exported around the world. As the position of Irish Whiskey strengthens in key emerging markets, we are one of the only spirits categories to see our global market share increase. Key to that success in future will be our growth in markets such as India and Japan, and I am delighted our distillers have received this vote of confidence as they seek to diversify their markets. This is truly a new dawn for Irish Whiskey.”
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