Whiskey industry warns of “ludicrous” advertising restrictions
The alcohol bill is back in conversation again, specifically (and as always) the damage it threatens to do to one of Ireland's industries. This time, a proposed ban on "directional/way-finding signs to whiskey distillery visitor centres" may well be harmful, according to the Irish Whiskey Association.
Print31 August 2018
The Irish Whiskey Association has today called for more last-minute changes to be made to the Alcohol Bill in order to protect the Irish whiskey tourism sector and small distillers around Ireland. Under the current Bill, free-standing directional or way-marking signage containing the name of a distillery or alcohol brand would be banned from display at any Luas or bus stop, or within 200 metres of any boundary of a school or early-years facility.
There are currently 13 whiskey distillery visitor centres across the country, with plans for an additional 13 visitor centres to open in the coming years. In 2017, visitor numbers to Irish whiskey distilleries grew to 814,000, an 11 percent increase year-on-year.
Commenting on the restrictions, head of the Irish Whiskey Association William Lavelle, said that the Irish whiskey industry supports the objectives of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. “It is in our industry’s long-term interest to promote sustainable and responsible levels of alcohol consumption in Ireland,” Lavelle said. “This is happening already, as alcohol consumption has declined by over 23% since 2001 according to CSO and Revenue Commissioner data.”
Lavelle added that some of the measures included in the Alcohol Bill are “excessive, impractical, disproportionate and in some cases, just ludicrous.
“Irish whiskey distilleries attracted 814,000 paying visitors last year, over 90% of whom were overseas tourists,” he said. “They play an integral part of Ireland’s tourism offering, particularly in parts of the country with a less well established tourism footfall.
“Yet, the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill will severely contain the advertising and promotion of Irish whiskey distillery visitor centres.”
This provision of the Bill will mean that nearly all outdoor advertising and directional signage for distillery visitor centres will be prohibited in dense urban areas such as Dublin. It will also affect distillery visitor centres located in busy provincial towns such as Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
We dare say that a sign helping tourists find the local whiskey distillery is a fairly arbitrary addition; the lack of a sign isn’t going to discourage people from consuming whiskey, it will only delay them in finding it for a moment.
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