More than meets the eye - 2024 Export volumes of Scotch Whisky

Commercial Spirits Intelligence No.83

Following a stellar year of production and sales in 2022 and a subsequent decline in 2023, the release of export volume and value data by the Scotch Whisky Association for 2024 was a timely reminder that sales of Scotch whisky (and all global spirits) continue to remain under pressure. The headline data was as follows:

· Export value of Scotch Whisky in 2024 was £5.4bn, down from £5.6bn in 2023. This is a 3.5% fall in value.

· Export volume of Scotch Whisky in 2024 was 1.4 billion 70cl bottles (equivalent), up 50 million 70cl bottles compared with 2023. This is a rise of 4%.

· Compound growth rates for value and volume were both ~ 2% in the period from 2018 to 2024.

We look at the implications of this volume data. Who are the winners and who are the losers over the last 12 months? Which categories are key and how are they evolving? Where is the most value to be found? Quite a lot going on under the headlines here that most people do not see. We do the work, so you do not have to rely on selected numbers from the media.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash