Facts & Figures

• 53 bottles (70cl @40% ABV) of Scotch Whisky are shipped from Scotland to around 180 markets around the world each second, totalling over 1.6bn every year
• Laid end to end those bottles would stretch about 467,000kms -  that's more than 11 times around the Earth!
• In 2022, Scotch Whisky exports were worth £6.2bn
• In 2022, Scotch Whisky accounted for 77% of Scottish food and drink exports and 25% of all UK food and drink exports
• In 2022, Scotch Whisky accounted for 26% of all Scotland’s international goods exports and 1.5% of all UK goods exports
• The Scotch Whisky industry provides £5.5bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy (2018)
• More than 11,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland and over 42,000 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
• Around 90% of barley requirements of the industry are sourced in Scotland
• In 2019, there were 2.2 million visits to Scotch Whisky distilleries, making the industry the third most popular tourist attraction in Scotland
• Some 22 million casks lie maturing in warehouses in Scotland waiting to be discovered - that is around 12bn 70cl bottles
• To be called Scotch Whisky, the spirit must mature in oak casks in Scotland for at least 3 years
• There are currently 148 operating Scotch Whisky distilleries across Scotland (October 2023)

All figures relate to Jan-Dec 2022 unless stated.