The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
According to the latest industry reports from the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), Scotch whisky exports are on the upswing again.
During the first six months of 2016, exports increased by 3.1%. That marks the first increase in overall exports for the Scotch industry since 2013. Yet the picture isn’t entirely a rosy one, as that figure indicates an increase in the volume of exports. The matching figure for the value of those exports shows sales and revenue fell by 1% during the same period.
Even so, the increase in the volume of exports is a bright spot for the Scotch industry in a period marked by the uncertain future of Brexit Britain.
In terms of where those exports went, the U.S. and France remained the world’s top whisky markets, but the most marked growth was in India, where Scotch sales surged. India has long been recognized as the world’s largest market for whiskies in terms of the number of drinkers and the volume consumed, but most of that demand has heretofore been met by domestic brands of ersatz whiskies, often made with a locally made rum blended with imported whiskies. Several companies, such as Beam Suntory and William Grant & Sons, have been working to expand their market share in India, keeping an eye on a the growing Indian middle class and rising incomes.
