 Ireland once dominated the world 's market for whiskey , producing 90 % of the world 's whiskey at the start of the 20th century . However , as a consequence of bootleggers during the prohibition in the United States ( who sold poor @-@ quality whiskey bearing Irish @-@ sounding names thus eroding the pre @-@ prohibition popularity for Irish brands ) and tariffs on Irish whiskey across the British Empire during the Anglo @-@ Irish Trade War of the 1930s , sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2 % by the mid @-@ 20th century . In 1953 , an Irish government survey , found that 50 per cent of whiskey drinkers in the United States had never heard of Irish whiskey . 
 Ireland once dominated the world <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>market for whiskey , producing 90 % of the world <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>whiskey at the start of the 20th century . However , as a consequence of bootleggers during the prohibition in the United States ( <a href='null_relcl' title='3'><mark>who</mark></a>sold poor @-@ quality whiskey bearing Irish @-@ sounding names thus eroding the pre @-@ prohibition popularity for Irish brands ) and tariffs on Irish whiskey across the British Empire during the Anglo @-@ Irish Trade War of the 1930s , sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2 % by the mid @-@ 20th century . In 1953 , an Irish government survey , found that 50 per cent of whiskey drinkers in the United States <a href='been_done' title='4'><mark>had</mark></a> never heard of Irish whiskey . 
Ireland once dominated da world  market for whiskey , producing 90 % of tdaworld  whiskey at the start of the 20th century . However , as a consequence of bootleggers durin thdarohibition in the United States ( sold poor @-@ quality whiskey bearing Irish @-@ sounding names thus eroding the pre @-@ prohibition popularity for Irish brands ) and tariffs on Irish whiskey across the British Empire during thedaglo @-@ Irish Trade War of the 1930s , sales of Irish whiskey worldwide fell to a mere 2 % by the da @-@ 20th century . In 1953 , an Irish government survey , found that 50 per cent of whiskey drinkers in the United States done never heard of Irish whiskey .