UK: Whisky exports increase 3.6% in volume last year

Whisky exports grew by 3.6% in volume last year to the equivalent of 1.28 billion 70cl bottles – worth a record £4.7 billion, the UK’s HM Revenue and Customs have revealed.

That represented a 7.8% rise in value as the United States became the first billion pound single country export market for Scotch, growing to £1.04 billion.

But the EU remains the largest export region at 30% of global value and 36% of global volume.

There was £3.04 billion sales of blended Scotch and exports of Single Malt grew by 11.3% in 2018 to £1.30 billion.

Karen Betts, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: "2018 was another year of strong export growth, attesting to Scotch whisky's enduring popularity in different countries and among cultures right across the world. Quite simply, Scotch whisky remains the whisky everyone wants to drink.

“These figures underscore strength of the Scotch whisky category, which has continued to grow despite the challenges posed by Brexit and by tensions in the global trading system.

“However, the industry does not take continued growth for granted. We operate in a competitive global marketplace and so a competitive business environment in Scotland and across the UK is vital to Scotch whisky‘s success.

“For Scotch, that means fair and balanced regulation and taxes, including excise duty, to give distillers the confidence to invest in future growth. We also want to see the UK and EU agree to an open and positive future relationship, which delivers frictionless trade with the EU, and the UK to secure ambitious trading relationships with key markets around the world."

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