Scotch Whisky Contributes GBP 4.96 Billion to UK Economy Annually: Scotch Whisky Association Report

The Scotch whisky industry contributes a whopping GBP 4.96 billion to Great Britain’s economy every year. In revenue terms, this makes the Scotch whisky sector larger than industries such as textiles, steel, computer industries, and shipbuilding, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has said in its latest report published in January 2015. The SWA report states that Scotch whisky surpasses the food and beverages sector in the UK, in terms of value.

According to the report, 40,300 jobs are created in the UK within the liquor distilling industry. This marks an increase of 15% since 2008, when the total jobs in this industry stood at 35,000. The jobs are created across a myriad of core and ancillary sector such as labeling and glass manufacturing. Of the total number of people that earn a livelihood via the Scotch whisky industry, about 10,900 workers are directly employed in the whisky manufacturing industry in Scotland. The average salary of such workers amounts to GBP 47,000. This places the Scotch whisky industry third among the highest paying professions in the United Kingdom, beating professions such as finance.

The report further states that over 90% of all operating expenditure of the Scotch whisky industry remains within the UK. This industry also continues to remain a cornerstone of the UK’s revenues from exports, accounting for 25% of all exports from the nation.

Scotch whisky can be classified as a traditional homegrown industry that dates back to the late 15th century. Workforce across verticals such as distilling, bottling, labeling, sales and marketing, and advertising, and logistics play a role behind every bottle of scotch produced in the UK. Taking inspiration from the success of this alcoholic drink in Scotland, other countries such as Japan, the United States and Canada have also started facilities that recreate the most famous drink of Scotland.