In part 2 of our Fascinating Statistics from the World of Scotch Whisky, we are going to focus on first the all-important US Single Malt market, plus show how Scotch whisky exports are recovering from the pandemic.
In Part 1 we highlighted how in 1980 Single Malt whisky made up only 1% of global volume sales. Now it is over 15%. However, when we look at value, Single Malt today jumps up to 41% of the market. At the current rate, it is predicted to overtake blended in the next 10 years. Whisky executives would have fallen over laughing if you had made that prediction even at the turn of the century!
In our first graph, we are going to look at the most important export market for Single Malt whisky – the USA. This is charting the growth since 1996.
Exports of Single Malt Bottles to the USA in million litres of pure alcohol (mLPA)
1996 2.20
2001 2.11
2006 4.79
2011 4.87
2016 6.22
2021 6.40
Single Malt sales have nearly trebled in the No.1 global market in 25 years. This is despite the UK not having a trade deal during this time. Other hurdles that had to be overcome were the 2008 banking crisis which caused a major recession, the Covid pandemic, and the 25% tariff imposed by the Trump administration as part of a trade war with the EU.
Conclusion – It is reasonable to assume that the long-term growth of Single Malt whisky will continue its upward trajectory in the coming decade.
The Bounce-Back Markets
2020 was a very difficult year for the Scotch Whisky industry with the almost complete loss of Travel Retail and huge declines in On Trade sales. The table below shows the Top 10 markets which have experienced the highest growth in 2021. Globally Scotch whisky exports increased year on year by 27.7%!
In Million Litres of Pure Alcohol (MLPA)
1) Belgium 2.31 to 6.37 ………..175.5% - Western Europe
2) Chile 2.90 to 7.13…………145.7% - South America
3) Dominican Rep. 1.47 to 3.37…………129.7% - Caribbean
4) Nigeria 0.77 to 1.76…………128.6% - Africa
5) Panama 2.15 to 4.46…………107.7% - Central America
6) Brazil 12.67 to 22.88………80.5% - South America
7) Romania 1.32 to 2.32………….76.4% - Eastern Europe
8) Iraq 0.68 to 1.18………….74.5% - Middle East
9) Peru 1.50 to 2.61………….74.0% - South America
10) UAE 3.27 to 5.47………….67.5% - Middle East
The Recovery is Complete!
The table below shows how the global Scotch Whisky industry has already recovered from the sharp drop in sales during the pandemic. Within one year, exports have surpassed 2019 totals.
Despite the global volatility impacted by the Covid disruptions in China and the war between Ukraine and Russia, we anticipate that Scotch whisky export growth will continue for the foreseeable future.
Exports for Year to Date: January to December (MLPA)
All Markets TOTAL
Year to December 2019 366.66
Year to December 2020 320.63
Year to December 2021 387.14
% Change 2020/21 20.7%
% Change 2019/21 5.6%
EU Markets
Year to December 2019 130.14
Year to December 2020 122.86
Year to December 2021 134.61
% Change 2020/21 9.6%
% Change 2019/21 3.4%
All Other Markets
Year to December 2019 236.52
Year to December 2020 197.77
Year to December 2021 252.53
% Change 2020/21 27.7%
% Change 2019/21 6.8%
Finally, we are going to finish with a Top 10 which we know will surprise many people. We have also included the following showing the ranking and visitor numbers of some of the famous distilleries.
The Top 10 Distilleries for Number of Visitors (2019)
1) Lochranza 115,000 - Highlands (Isle of Arran.)
2) Glengoyne 81,848 - Southern Highlands
3) Blair Athol 78,525 - Southern Highlands
4) Glenturret 68,000 - Southern Highlands
5) Talisker 59,383 - Highlands (Skye)
6) Dalwhinnie 58,747 - Speyside
7) Oban 57,031 - Western Highlands
8) Glenfiddich 56,954 - Speyside
9) Macallan 55,000 - Speyside
10) Glenkinchie 46,782 - Lowland.
20) Lagavulin 31,862 – Islay
21) The Glenlivet 31,688 – Speyside
22) Glenmorangie 28,750 – Northern Highlands
25) Laphroaig 25,558 – Islay
31) Highland Park 17,217 – Highland (Orkneys)
33) Ardbeg 15,500 – Islay
37) Aberlour 13,646 – Speyside
51) Springbank 7,250 - Campbeltown
52) Dalmore 5,800 – Northern Highlands
58) Balvenie 3,276 - Speyside
We hope you’ve enjoyed the second part of our statistical insight into the World of Scotch Whisky. Part 3 coming soon…
To find out more about The World of Cask Whisky Investment, contact the Masters today.
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