By Richard Thomas
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), the trade association for the Scotch whisky industry, reported that fell 2.4% in terms of value in 2015, and 2.8% in terms of volume. Although those numbers indicate Scotch whisky exports are continuing their decline, the rate of decline slowed markedly during the past year compared against previous years. In 2014, the value of Scotch whisky exports had contracted by a harsh 7%.
Within the larger picture of Scotch whisky, single malts are the one unquestioned bright spot. The value of single malt whisky exports rose by some £2.4 million in 2015, with single malts accounting for roughly a quarter of the value of all Scotch whisky exports.
The European Union accounted for around 40% of those exports, an indicator of the damage a Brexit, of Britain’s departure from the European Union, might do to the Scotch industry. The United States continues to be the industry’s single most lucrative market, account for 1/5 of all exports.