Minister Visits Powerscourt Distillery
The Irish Whiskey Association launched a new campaign under the IrishWhiskey360° banner to encourage Irish staycationers to ‘Discover Ireland’s Whiskey Distilleries’, was launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Charlie McConalogue at Powerscourt Distillery.
Having been closed to visitors for many months, Powerscourt, like most of Ireland’s whiskey distilleries are once again opening their doors to offer a range of safe experiences, from self-guided tours to outdoor tastings and cocktail experiences. Minister McConalogue was introduced to the unique Fercullen Whiskey & Food pairing experience offered at Powerscourt and devised by Santina Kennedy – Food & Beverage Specialist at Powerscourt Distillery.
IrishWhiskey360°, an industry-led platform to promote Irish whiskey tourism, features 20 distilleries and brand homes with visitor experiences. The www.IrishWhiskey360.ie website has also been relaunched with details and maps of distilleries and regions to visit.
It features seven new regional videos too that will be promoted during the campaign which will see digital advertising across the web and social media platforms along with additional print advertising.
The campaign has been supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine under its agri-tourism measure grant scheme.
To mark the campaign’s launch the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Charlie McConalogue TD visited Powerscourt Distillery in County Wicklow, stating, “I’m very proud of our drinks sector and its constant desire to improve and innovate”.
William Lavelle, Head of the Irish Whiskey Association, added, “Irish whiskey distilleries attracted over one million visitors in 2019 but that fell 88% last year. We’re hoping Irish visitors will support the distilleries on their doorstep by making them part of their Summer staycation plans”.
As part of the campaign, IrishWhiskey360° has launched a new passport scheme. The IrishWhiskey360° Passport is a unique record of one’s journey through the Irish whiskey distilleries where stamps can be collected at every distillery on the visitor’s journey.