Scottish whisky growth driven by Far East demand
A soaring appetite for Scotland's national drink in Far East countries such as China and India helped drive whisky exports up to almost £2 billion in the first half of this year.
Exports increased in value by 10.8 per cent to £1.97bn compared with the same period last year. Official HMRC figures published by the Scotch Whisky Association also showed the volume of exports increased by 5.6 per cent to almost 558 million bottles.
Exports to emerging markets continued to grow, with a 34.8 per cent increase in the value of Scotch whisky going to China and a 44.4 per cent increase to India.
The US remains the largest export market by value at more than £400 million. Single malts make up 28 per cent of the value of all Scotch shipped overseas.