Licensed wisdom XXX
“It is as if Dublin wants the lucrative tax revenue that the industry generates, the promise of rural jobs and development it can create, not to mention the tourism dollars and visitors it encourages, while at the same time preferring that no one actually drinks the stuff.” – Leading US wine and spirits writer Joseph V Micallef writing in Forbes magazine of the Irish Government’s ambivalent attitude to its booming Irish whiskey industry.
“The idea that we’re in the area of rashers and burnt toast or that you have to be drinking 10 pints a day (to get cancer) is not true.” – Fianna Fáil Spokesman on Health Stephen Donnelly in the Dáil debate on the Alcohol Bill.
“A hard Brexit alone is tough — a hard Brexit in a market with high excise tax is even tougher.” – Director of Communications at Irish Distillers and DIGI Chair Rosemary Garth.
“While Irish drinks businesses are excellent innovators, there is only so much they can achieve while shouldering the second-highest excise tax in Europe.” – DIGI Chair Rosemary Garth on our exceptionally high excise taxes on alcohol.
“This type of negative regulatory divergence will be highly damaging to the all-island drinks industry, particularly for smaller producers, such as Northern Irish gin producers, for who Ireland and Northern Ireland are their two largest markets and who will now require two labels for the one island.” – ABFI Director Patricia Callan on the new labelling regulations for alcohol products.
“Ireland can’t have it both ways on trade. We cannot call for other countries to drop tariffs while we’re bringing in our own trade barriers such as single-country health warning labels.” ABFI Director Patricia Callan on the labelling proposals in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.
“The whole area of ‘Food Tourism’ has grown in importance over the last decade with high quality local experiences now a major contributor to a visitor’s holiday satisfaction.” – Paul Keely, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Commercial Development.
“… and I thought the paramilitaries in Belfast were difficult…” – Bill Wolsey of the Beanchor Group speaking at the LVA Conference on ‘Embracing Change’ on dealing with Dublin Council on his Capel street venture.
“…. now have a restaurant attached to an extraction system” – former publican Michael Sheary of the award-winning better burger restaurant BuJo on the extract backup necessary to cater for the demand for char-grilled beef burgers, speaking at the LVA Conference on ‘Embracing Change’.
