Gruppo Campari moves back into Irish whiskey

Campari America has branched back out into the rapidly growing Irish whiskey market with the launch of Irish Mist Whiskey.

Gruppo Campari has expanded its liqueur brand Irish Mist to now include a four-year-old Irish whiskey

Irish Mist, whose portfolio originally consisted of a honeyed whiskey liqueur, will be releasing a blend of four-year-old whiskeys.

Said to have an aroma of “raisins, vanilla, pear and spices”, with notes of “honey and toffee” on the palate, Irish Mist Whiskey has been triple distilled and aged in American oak casks.

It is described as a variation of the recipe of the original Irish Mist honeyed whiskey liqueur.

“While many Irish Whiskies are just now jumping on the honeyed whiskey trend we started nearly 70 years ago, we are taking what we’ve learned about creating a flavorful experience and applying it to our new Irish Mist Whiskey,” said Andrew Floor, Senior Marketing Director of Dark Spirits at Campari America.

Recent figures have shown that Irish whiskey is one of the fastest growing segments in the spirits industry, with many commentators foreseeing boom over the next few years, a prediction reflected in the number of new distilleries planned for Irish whiskey production.

“With the Irish whiskey category growing 16 percent by volume in the U.S. over the past year, this gives us a fantastic entry into the market, further cementing our standing as one of the best whiskey portfolios in the industry,” added Floor.

Irish Mist Whiskey will be the only Irish whiskey in Gruppo Campari’s portfolio, which includes Wild Turkey Bourbon, American Honey, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and Auchentoshan.

Campari used to market William Grant & Sons’ Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey in the US.

Irish Mist Whiskey will be available in 750 ml bottles at an RRP of US$28.99 from select US states.