Scotch exports soar by 1.5%

08 December, 2009

The Scotch Whisky Association has announced that more than 807 million bottles of Scotch whisky were shipped abroad during the first nine months of 2009.

The Scotch Whisky Association has announced that more than 807 million bottles of Scotch whisky were shipped abroad during the first nine months of 2009.

“The first quarter of last year was terrible,” said Campbell Evans, the SWA’s director of government & consumer affairs. “The second and third quarters came back up to 2008 levels and the last quarter can only be better that the last quarter of 2008. This Christmas looks likely to be good,” he told Drinks International.

Values were down 3.5% on the previous industry record in 2008, reaching £2.11 billion, the scotch industry’s second best export value performance at the end of September.

Top 10 export markets by volume

(January – September, millions of 70cl bottles

2009                  % change

France                     126.8                  +9

US                             86.9                  +6

Spain                         56.4                  -26

Singapore                   38.9                 +7

South Africa               37.9                 +17

Venezuela                  37.7                 +94

Brazil                         33.4                 +70

Australia                    26.3                 +12

South Korea              26.1                  -16

Germany                   25.0                  -11

Total exports            807.5                  +1.5

 

Top 10 export markets by value

(January – September, £million)

2009                  % change

France                  297.2                 +16

US                        267.7                   -2

Spain                    190.9                  -19

Singapore             108.7                  -20

Venezuela             100.9                 +83

Greece                    80.1                    -6

South Korea            74.8                  -34

South Africa            74.7                   +4

Germany                71.4                    -9

Taiwan                    64.2                  +18

Total exports         2,109.1                -3.5

Source: HM Revenue & Customs data based in individual company declarations of export value and volume of shipments  to each market