Raising Irish spirits: growth in Irish whiskeys and Irish creams is due to far more than the luck of the Irish.

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Ask people what the fastest-growing spirits category is and they're likely to say vodka or maybe cordials. They'd be correct in identifying these categories as tremendously successful, but they'd be wrong in assuming one of them is the fastest-growing. That honor goes to Irish whiskey. There's no doubt the cocktail craze has held the drinking public's fascination for a couple of decades now. A whole new generation of consumers has come of age in an era when white goods have dominated and products like cranberry-flavored vodkas are de rigueur. For the most part, brown goods, especially whiskey, have seen little growth during that time.

For several years, however, Irish whiskey has outpaced every other category in the industry, though it is obviously measured from a very small base relative to other larger spirits categories. Irish whiskey as a whole was up 19% in 2006 to 732,000 9-liter cases, and though final numbers aren't in, it grew at a double-digit pace again in 2007. Irish distillers have more tricks up their sleeves this year, suggesting the category's expansion is far from finished.

Consumer interest in Irish whiskey may well be a result of the cocktail culture. One reason white goods have been so successful is due to their mixability and the fact that they can be used in so many different types of drinks. That feature, along with consumers' insatiable desire for new flavors and experiences, has led producers to create flavored white goods, and has led consumers to try more flavorful spirits.

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"Although much has been written about the cocktail phenomenon among the white spirit categories, whiskey has enjoyed the renewed enthusiasm for cocktails as well," said Wayne Hartunian, Jameson brand director at Pernod-Ricard USA. "Old favorites like the whiskey sour, whiskey and Coke, whiskey and ginger, and the Manhattan have been updated and have found a new audience among younger men and women looking to expand their drinks repertoire."

Vodka makers have been able to capitalize on changes in consumer tastes quickly, and turn on a dime, introducing the flavor of the week in as much time as it takes to distill a vat of neutral grain spirit. Whiskey makers, on the other hand, are more akin to turning aircraft carriers, taking years of aging and blending to produce a new product. With new products now coming onto the market, distillers can maintain consumer interest in whiskey and expand their choices.

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Another trend that Irish whiskey uses to its advantage is consumer interest in authenticity. Particularly in categories viewed as affordable luxuries, consumers look for products with heritage, originality, or preferably both. Irish whiskeys not only represent a unique style of whiskey, their heritage dates back to the origins of whiskey itself--uisce beatha, or "water of life," first distilled by Irish monks in the 5th or 6th century in alembic "pot" stills.

Irish whiskey has been one of the world's favorite spirits. In the 1800s, when French vineyards were decimated by phylloxera, blended whiskey filled the void left by the lack of French cognac. At one time there were more than 1,200 licensed distilleries in Ireland and another 2,000 or more illegal ones. Trade wars with England, however, dealt …