Diageo opens cocktail bar in Dublin Airport

Diageo has opened a new cocktail bar inside Terminal 2 at Dublin Airport in an effort to capture the interest of the “discerning traveller”.

According to local press, the bar has been described as a “premium cocktail and spirit experience [that] is ideal for consumers in search of a luxurious pre-flight beverage”.

Tailors Bar is reportedly furnished with copper and gold colour ways and takes its design inspiration from the world of fashion and fine tailoring.

The décor has been influenced by three Diageo spirit brands: Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray Gin and Roe & Co Whiskey.

Speaking on the launch last week, Diageo Ireland marketing director Hilary Quinn said: “We are immensely proud to bring Irish and International travellers the first ever cocktail and spirits only bar to Dublin Airport.”

Quinn added: “We are thrilled to showcase the elevated drinks and luxurious experience that discerning travellers can look forward to enjoying before their journey at the helm of this exciting opening, just in time for summer 2023 travels.”

Diageo recently showed a strong performance in its half-year results, with a rise in net sales and growth across all regions. Growth was delivered across most categories, primarily Scotch, Tequila and beer, while Diageo’s “premium-plus brands” contributed 57% of reported net sales and drove 65% of organic net sales growth, showing that the addition of a premium cocktail bar to the company’s remit is a clever move – especially for tourists visiting Ireland.

Earlier this year, figures from the Irish Whiskey Association (IWA) revealed how whiskey tourism had surged 425% in Ireland, aided by an increase in the popularity of ‘staycations’ and tourists from the US. The findings showed that visits to Ireland’s whiskey distilleries had increased more than fourfold in 2022, with a total 677,000 visitors providing a 425% uplift year-on-year.