Scotch myths

I am surprised that Gavin Hewitt of the Scotch Whisky Association is concerned about the small figure of "one-third of the Scottish market for Scotch whisky" being threatened by minimum pricing (Opinion, 28 January).

Given that the whole UK market for Scotch is less than 10 per cent of the global Scotch market, then a figure of about one-third of 1 per cent of total world Scotch seems pretty insignificant.

Perhaps he would be better advised to address the real problem of the Scotch whisky industry, viz the even more insignificant 2.6 per cent growth of global Scotch volumes during the last 30 years, equating to an annual growth rate of 0.082 per cent. And this during the greatest economic boom mankind has ever known and in which other competitor spirits have streaked ahead over 40 times faster than Scotch whisky.

More cogently, the more than 52,000 full-time jobs lost to Scotland by the under-performing Scotch whisky industry would have gone a long way to alleviate the level of alcohol abuse by people, young and old, who have now given up hope of gaining employment and social stability.

DONALD M BLAIR

Bellevue Place

Edinburgh