A selection of bottles of Jameson Irish whiskey on display Feb. 17 in a Duty Free shop at Dublin Airport, in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP)

Spirits giant Pernod Ricard is receiving backlash after making the decision to continue exporting Irish whiskey to Russia despite the nation’s attack on Ukraine.

Pernod Ricard was one of the first companies to halt exports to Russia after the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022. On Sunday, however, Independent.ie reported that Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers would continue to export its popular Irish whiskey brands, such as Jameson and Redbreast, to Russia.

The report sparked outrage from many consumers, who posted on social media, suggesting a boycott of the brand and saying they would stop drinking the product.

“While @IrishDistillers continues catering to the terrorists, we call to #BoycottJameson,” Ukrainian Community in Ireland tweeted. “Please share. You can also contact them at [email protected] to express your frustration.”

“Disgusting excuses from @IrishDistillers @Pernod_Ricard re selling @jamesonwhiskey for blood rubles,” Ukrainian Community in Ireland said in a separate tweet. “Recent article in @Independent_ie highlights this moral bankruptcy and complete lack of corporate ethics. Can products of such company be trusted?!”

Last week, Pernod Ricard suspended the export of Absolut Vodka to Russia following backlash from consumers in Sweden, where the brand is based.

“In full compliance with all international sanctions, the decision to resume our exports to Russia was taken once our pre-existing stocks (imported pre-war) were depleted and applied to our portfolio of brands,” a spokesperson for Pernod Ricard told The Spirits Business. “It is important to note that both the number of brands and the quantity sold of each have been strongly reduced across the portfolio, including the removal of Absolut as you have seen.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely with the protection of our local teams in the region of paramount importance.”

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