Tourism Ireland celebrates whiskey heritage in new campaign

Irish whiskey story promoted around the world.

Tourism Ireland has unveiled a new campaign celebrating 700 years of whiskey distilling in Ireland and highlighting the craft, local ingredients, landscapes and people that have shaped the Irish whiskey story through the ages.

Whiskey tourism continues to grow in popularity, with over 30 distilleries across the island offering tours, whiskey experiences and visitor events. The Irish Whiskey Association estimates that over 800,000 holidaymakers visited a whiskey distillery visitor experience on the island of Ireland in 2023 – so, this new campaign aims to build on that curiosity, inspiring more visitors to come and explore our island’s long and rich tradition of whiskey distilling.

The campaign includes a video highlighting some of our iconic whiskey experiences – from the world’s oldest licensed distillery in Bushmills to Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin and from Midleton Distillery Experience to Titanic Distillers in Belfast. The video can be viewed here and will be shared on Tourism Ireland’s social and digital platforms around the world.

Additional information is also available on Tourism Ireland’s international website, Ireland.com, for prospective holidaymakers looking to explore our historic distilleries, engage in interactive tours and enjoy a variety of tasting experiences – all set against the backdrop of Ireland’s stunning landscapes and vibrant culture.

Elmagh Killeen, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Brand & Marketing Communications, said: “Ireland has a remarkable distilling heritage dating back 700 years to the Red Book of Ossory – the first known written record of ‘aqua vitae’, meaning water of life, was noted in the ancient 1324 manuscript. ‘Aqua vitae’ became ‘uisce beatha’ in the Irish language, which eventually translated to ‘fuisce’ or ‘whiskey’ as we know it today. This new campaign provides an opportunity to leverage that extraordinary history, promoting Ireland as a leading global whiskey tourism destination. 

“Tourism Ireland is also partnering with Ireland’s whiskey visitor experiences and attractions through the Irish Whiskey Association to bring this campaign to life and inspire holidaymakers, from whiskey aficionados to those curious about the people and landscape that define the distilling process, to visit Ireland in 2025 and beyond.”