Jameson Whiskey owner seeks to sell 10m cases a year

The head of global spirits giant Pernod Ricard wants to double the sales of Jameson Irish whiskey to 10 million cases a year over the next decade.

In an interview with Business This Week, Alexandre Ricard, chairman and chief executive of French company Pernod Ricard, said his ambition was to double the cases of Jameson sold annually.

Some 5.1 million cases of Jameson were sold in the 12 months to the end of June 2015 and the brand has doubled in volumes since 2008.

Its organic sales rose by 10 per cent last year. The US is its biggest market with two million cases a year.

“I’d love to see it become a 10 million case brand for sure,” Mr Ricard said.

“How long will it take? I don’t know, it’s always difficult to say. You need to pace your growth. What really drives growth behind our brands is consumer demand . . . and you need to balance the equilibrium between volume and value.”

When asked if it could take five to 10 years, Mr Ricard said: “Anything in between.”

Mr Ricard visited Ireland last week for the opening of a micro distillery in Midleton, Co Cork, where Jameson and Pernod Ricard’s other Irish whiskeys are produced.

Mr Ricard urged Minister for Finance Michael Noonan not to raise taxes on spirits in his October budget, adding it would be "wishful thinking" to believe the minister might actually reduce taxes. "This would be great, but they need to at least do nothing."

He said the 44 per cent increase in excise duties in 2013 harmed sales of Jameson in the Irish market. Tourists to the Jameson Experience in Midleton complain about the high price. “Ireland is now the third highest taxed country [for spirits] in Europe,” he said. “If you increase [tax] too much volumes decline.”