Lundberg was speaking to Drinks International at a recent St Patrick’s Day celebration in Dublin
Selling 4.3 million cases in the last fiscal year, Lundberg said: “There is a dynamism among whole category, and I want to see Irish whiskey growing. There still remains great opportunity.”
The brand director pointed to the opportunity of geographic expansion in North America and Europe, opportunities in Latin America and encouraging success thanks to the bartender community in Tokyo.
With the expansion in its distillery and plans for further expansion, can Jameson accommodate the rate of development? Lundberg insists, “There is a comfortable stock to meet demand.
“It’s wonderful to see a resurgence in brown spirits. Consumers are getting more interested and this bodes well for Irish whiskey. More and more will be interested and drawn into Irish whiskey.”
And what about other brands and Suntory’s Beam take-over? “Given the size of Irish whiskey, there is a huge portfolio, there is ample space for all in the portfolio,” Lundberg assures.
“Jameson has its loyal advocates who have discovered the brand, stuck with it and become incredibly loyal.”
“We want to continue to build advocacy and educate people about the brand. To try and be more innovative and build on projects like ‘Jameson First Shot’.” A project that offers writer/ directors the opportunity to get a ‘first shot’ in the industry and direct an A-List actor if they win the short film competition judged by actor Kevin Spacey.
In celebration of St Patrick’s Day last month, the Pernod Ricard-owned Irish whiskey brand released a limited edition bottle designed by Irish illustrator, Dermot Flynn. The bottle incorporated historical Irish figures and modern day slang to “bring the city to life”.
