Whisky interesting facts

It was International Scotch Day this week and so we decided to find out some very interesting facts about Whisky and Scotland.

• The Scotch Whisky industry provides £5.5bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy.
• Jura has only the one Distillery and locals are dependent on its success for their employment. Today, almost every family on the island has a member who works in the distillery, with the distillery or in whisky-related tourism. Because Jura matters more to the people who make it, you can taste their dedication in every sip.
• Scots aren’t actually the bigger drinkers of whisky the USA remains by far the most valuable market. According to the HMRC, it imported £789.8m of Scotch in 2021, more than double its closest rival which was France. The Scottish government which makes around £125 from the 38 bottles being exported every second from Scotland.
• 4 bottles (70cl @40% ABV) of Scotch Whisky are shipped from Scotland to around 180 markets around the world each second, totalling over 1.3bn every year – with a value of £4.51 billion. Laid end to end those bottles would stretch about 377,000kms – that’s 98% of the distance to the moon!
• Jack Daniel’s was the leading brand of whiskey in the on-trade channel in the United Kingdom in 2021. Sales of the brand reached £107.8 million that year. Famous Grouse was the next best selling brand with sales of £40.3 million.
• In November 2022 according to the Office for National Statistics the average price of a nip was £3.25 by December that had risen to £3.29… in 1987 same nip cost 67p.

• There are currently 142 operating Scotch Whisky distilleries across Scotland (January 2023).
• Around 90% of barley requirements of the industry are sourced in Scotland.
• More than 11,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland and over42,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry 7,000 of these jobs in rural areas of Scotland providing vital employment and investment to communities across the Highlands and Islands.
• In 2019, there were 2.2 million visits to Scotch Whisky distilleries, making the industry the third most popular tourist attraction in Scotland.
• There are more than 22 million casks of maturing whisky in Scotland. That’s four casks for every person. That is around 12bn 70cl bottles.
• In Diageo’s latest half year results (Feb 2023) the company revealed that following the news last year that Johnnie Walker, had reached £2 billion sales it has continued its success a 21% jump in net sales. Diageo revealed Scotch, which accounts for 29% of the company’s sales by value saw volumes increase 6% and revenue grow 19% over the same period.