The Irish Whiskey Association is this week participating in a trade mission to Japan organised by DG Agriculture of the European Commission, visiting Tokyo and Osaka. 

The Irish Whiskey Association is the only Irish GI trade association to attend, among over 100 EU agri-food export delegates.

This marks the first trade mission of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, and the biggest mission organised by DG Agriculture ever. 

Other drinks producers from Ireland have also participated in a separate trade mission organised by Bord Bia, led by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, with Bord Bia hosting a 'Meet the Makers' event at Ireland House in Tokyo.

Agriland spoke to one of the whiskey companies exhibiting at the Bord Bia event (video below).

Japan has been identified as a market of interest for Irish agri-food exports, and Irish Whiskey has seen considerable success in the region in recent years.

In 2020, there were just 55,000 cases of Irish Whiskey sold in Japan; in 2024, there were over 200,000 cases sold according to the Irish Whiskey Association.

According to Bord Bia figures, the export value of Irish whiskey to Japan exceeded €5.4 million last year, a 163% increase from 2020.

Speaking from Tokyo, director of the Irish Whiskey Association, Eoin Ó Catháin, welcomed the remarkable growth in Irish Whiskey exports to Japan: "I am heartened to see the hard work of Irish whiskey producers pay off - they have put many years of effort into developing and strengthening business relationships in Japan, and last year saw us sell over 200,000 cases of Irish whiskey for the very first time.

"I hope this marks the beginning of a meteoric rise for Irish whiskey in the 'Land of the Rising Sun'".

Japan is now the 14^th largest international market for Irish whiskey, according to the association.

While market diversification for the sector is important and an area that the Irish Whiskey Association, Bord Bia and the Irish Government continues to work on, the reality of the trading environment in the most important market for Irish spirits is not ignored.

In the US, businesses are contending with a new 10% tariff, a weaker dollar and ongoing uncertainty, the association has stressed.

Today, the vast majority of distilling in Ireland is either suspended or severely curtailed, and many investments and projects have been put on hold, it added.

The association has called for a return to the zero-for-zero tariff trading environment that the spirits sector in both the EU and US has benefited from over the last three decades.

Whiskey remains the fastest growing spirit category in Japan, spearheaded by the 'Highball', a whiskey and soda mix preferred by younger consumers.

Japanese whiskey dominates the domestic market, representing well over 70% of total whiskey consumption.

Irish Whiskey for the moment stands at 0.7%, but given the increased focus and investment in market diversification, the Irish Whiskey Association is hopeful that this will grow in the immediate future.