The Chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Anna Malmhake yesterday claimed that Ireland is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy Irish whiskey.
Malmhake claims that a tourist visiting from New York has to pay almost €15 more when purchasing a bottle in Ireland than in New York (Jameson 1000ml RRP: Ireland - €41.68, USA - €27, Germany - €25.10).
She claims that Irish Distillers regularly receive queries from visitors wondering why it’s so expensive to buy Jameson here.
Malmhake commented, "The price of alcohol in Ireland is now the highest in the EU at 178% of the EU average (Eurostat) however this has only served to damage the industry and increase costs for responsible drinkers doing little to address misuse.
"The industry is acutely aware of the need to act on Ireland’s complex societal relationship with alcohol however I would urge the government to, first of all, reverse the excise increase from Budget 2014 in order to ensure the future commercial viability of drinks related enterprises in Ireland and secondly seek to tackle the serious issue of alcohol misuse with targeted measures such as addressing deeply discounted alcohol prices and employing evidence based solutions.
“A reduction in excise would give welcome relief to both hard working Irish consumers and the tourist trade visiting our country while also stimulating the growth of an industry which has huge opportunity for job creation.”
Source: www.businessword.ie