Second 'Golden age' for Scots whisky industry

IveSeenTheLight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-20859496

The Scotch whisky industry generates more than £4bn per year, according to new research.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) commissioned the analysis for its 100th anniversary.

It said the industry is in a "second golden age", following the rapid growth also seen in the 1970s.

The report concluded that productivity in distilling is more than 50% higher than workers in the City of London, at £275,000 per head.

The industry also supports around 36,000 jobs.

Of the £4.2bn calculated value, £1.3bn is spent on the supply chain and a further £2.9bn is value added by the industry itself.
Enviable position
Gavin Hewitt, SWA chief executive, said: "This new research is further evidence of the key role Scotch whisky plays in the Scottish economy.

"The demand for Scotch Whisky is coming increasingly from the world's fastest growing markets.

"In comparison with other Scottish industries, Scotch whisky already enjoys an enviable export position across a wide spread of emerging economies.

"The report shows Scotch whisky is likely to play an increasingly important role in Scotland's export markets.

"The momentum of growth needs to be better nurtured by both the UK and Scottish Governments. Scotch whisky underpins their ambitions for export-led recovery."

Generali

IveSeenTheLight wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-20859496

Good news, let's keep the Governments of Edinburgh and London as far away from this as possible.

Imagine Scotch designed by the Government. For a start we'd have to change the name as it's not inclusive enough.

Then there's all that alcohol, better to put a limit on it. 40%! Make it 12% like a good claret, it doesn't need all that horrid alcohol.

Does the association with some of the most beautiful countryside in the world glamorize drinking? Better put a picture of a sclerosed(sp?) liver on the label.

Better put a carbon tax on it for the polar bear cubs. Won't someone think of the cubs?

All sorted now. It's just as well the Government is there to fix all this stuff that the market won't do.

zagubov

Was going to post a link to an old website some celt-hating cranks had put up to boycott Scottish products after the Lockerbie"bomber" was returned to Libya.

It was deadpan, irrational and bigoted but has been improved immensely by adding non-existence to its many flaws. Newpapers published anecdotes of cancelled holidays and warnings of doom if the politicians involved didn't step down.
In real life, US tourism rose as did whisky sales. :beer:
All the politicians involved were re-elected to increased majorities. Except Gordon Brown, IIRC.

Looking forward to finding out the truth in the coming years.

paddyrg

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) commissioned the analysis for its 100th anniversary.

... and to promote their members interests.

Whenever you see ANY press release like this, remember the figures will always show a positive slant to whoever commissioned the report/survey/study/whatever.

robmatic

It's a shame that whisky is so under-appreciated in Scotland itself, and that so many of the remaining distilleries are under foreign ownership.

lvader

I feel I've made a hefty contribution in the increase of whiskey sales over the last few years. :beer:

BertieUK

robmatic wrote: »

It's a shame that whisky is so under-appreciated in Scotland itself, and that so many of the remaining distilleries are under foreign ownership.

The Distilleries that are foreign owned are they the smaller distilleries?

robmatic

BertieUK wrote: »

The Distilleries that are foreign owned are they the smaller distilleries?

Not at all, Glenmorangie is owned by LVMH (i.e Louis Vitton) and Suntory and Pernod Ricard also own a good number between them.

Diageo own many but I'm not sure whether you could still think of that company as Irish.

BertieUK

robmatic wrote: »

Not at all, Glenmorangie is owned by LVMH (i.e Louis Vitton) and Suntory and Pernod Ricard also own a good number between them.

Diageo own many but I'm not sure whether you could still think of that company as Irish.

Hard to imagine the Scots selling off the nectar of the Gods, hang on, ok if the price is right they might. (ps I am married to a Scot)

I do know that many countries have tried to produce the nectar and failed, even after shipping out the local water that they 'thought' was being used in it manufacture.

vivatifosi

OK, it's Diageo, but there was an interesting news piece this week about the Johnnie Walker house that's opened in Shanghai. Can't find the news article (was on TV) but here's the link to the web page
http://www.diageo.com/en-row/ourbrands/infocus/Pages/InFocus-JohnnieWalkerHouse.aspx
The article also mentioned that Diageo had bought a company selling the main Chinese alcoholic spirit.

daveyjp

Bertie. Whisky is produced all over the world and the first stage is no different from making beer and small breweries are everywhere.

The main problem for new entrants in whisky making is securing capital to produce a product and store it for years before being able to sell any of it.