It is more expensive to buy a bottle of whiskey in Ireland than the US.

With 4th of July celebrations in full swing in the US today, the Support Your Local campaign has carried out an analysis of Irish whiskey prices in the US compared to Ireland.

The latest figures show US tourists can purchase a bottle of Irish whiskey for €27 in the US compared to €42 for the same bottle in Ireland.

Almost 70 per cent of the cost of a bottle of Irish whiskey goes to the exchequer in excise and VAT.

Recent data from Eurostat show Ireland is the most expensive country in Europe in which to buy alcohol with prices at 175 per cent of the EU average.

The same €42 bottle of Irish whiskey costs around €25 in Germany.

The Support Your Local campaign called on the Government to reverse excise on alcohol in the next Budget.

Michael Storan, campaign manager of Support Your Local said the high excise rate on alcohol is "tax on tourism."

“While Irish whiskey tourism is on the up and expected to grow by over 60 per cent by 2025, visitors may be shocked when they find they can often purchase two bottles of Irish whiskey at home for the price in Ireland. Ultimately, Ireland is the shop-window for Irish whiskey and these high prices driven by high excise, are a worry to the industry,”said Mr Storan.

“Excise also hits Irish whiskey distillers trying to get a foothold in the Irish market. They need a robust home market before they can scale to export the product. At the moment government policy on alcohol excise is simply not allowing this to be a realistic option,”he said.