Brexit fails to temper spirit of Scotch; India sales down

LONDON: There is uncertainty over the future of trade and exports due to Brexit, but latest figures show that the spirit of Scotch whisky continues to soar, worth £4.5 billion in 2017, though the figures show a decline in the number of bottles exported to India.

The Scotch whisky industry is keen that India lowers imports tariffs, which it says affects growth as well as the ability of aficionados in the country with a large middle class to access genuine quality. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson wants Scotch whisky to figure on top of the agenda for talks on a free trade agreement with India after the UK leaves the European Union, expected in March 2019.

However, India remained the third largest destination for the industry’s exports in 2017 with 89 million 70cl bottles, after France and the US. The figures from the Scotch Whisky Association show that the figure of 89 million bottles was 4.8% less than that exported to India in 2016.