Jameson whiskey continued to perform strongly for Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard over the last year, with global net sales increasing by 10%, as 5.1m cases of Jameson were sold worldwide.

Jameson is Pernod Ricard’s fifth best-selling brand, with Absolut vodka topping the list – 11.2 million cases of the drink sold globally in the year to June 2015.

Irish Distillers, whose whiskey brands include Jameson, Powers and Paddy, was bought by Pernod Ricard in 1988.

Irish Distillers recently invested over €200m doubling production capacity in its Midleton Distillery in Cork and Fox & Geese bottling facility in Dublin, and expects to have to double capacity again in the coming years to meet global demand for its products.

For the 12 months ending June 2015, the total spirits market in Ireland declined by 3.2%, driven by a 5.2% decline in the off-trade. For the first time in a number of years, spirits sold in the on-trade increased by 1.4%, following a significant 6% decline last year.

In Association with

Irish Distillers also collaborated with Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork to launch Jameson Caskmates over the last year.

Caskmates is Jameson Irish whiskey that has been finished in barrels used by Franciscan Well to finish its craft Irish stout. Jameson Caskmates sold 3,000 bottles in its pilot year in Ireland and will launch across ten markets in 2015, with volumes expected to reach 85,000 cases by the end of year one.

Pernod Ricard’s results for financial 2015 show that it booked a net profit of €880m, a decrease of 14% on the previous year, which the company says was partly down to an impairment charge of €652m on its Absolut brand.

The firm had revenues of €8.6bn in financial 2015, an increase of 8%.

Pernod Ricard’s net sales in Asia/rest of the world for financial 2015 totalled €3.4bn, an increase of 14% yoy.

European markets accounted for €2.7bn (-2%) of total sales in financial 2015, followed by the Americas (€2.4bn, up 11%).

Penal Excise

Commenting on the performance of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard over the last year, Anna Malmhake, chairman and CEO, said that the Jameson brand has recorded 26 years of consecutive growth.

Malmhake was bullish about sales prospects for export markets, but said that the outlook for the industry in Ireland was “extremely concerning”.

She added: “The penal excise increases on alcohol accumulated since 2013 endanger the export success of indigenous products such as Irish whiskey, as well as the 92,000 jobs being supported by the drinks industry in every county throughout Ireland.

“Ireland is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy Irish whiskey. One has to ask how sustainable is the current international growth of Irish whiskey without a solid local market in which to support home-grown brands as well as new market entrants.”