Taste for single malts puts distillery visits high on the must-see list

The allure of Scotch whisky was so strong for one Chinese tourist that he parted with 9,999 Swiss francs ($10,066) for a 1878 Macallan single malt at a Swiss hotel.

A test later found the whisky to be counterfeit, but the incident reflects China’s growing thirst for single malts from Scotland.

According to the Scotch Whisky Association, a record 2,026,779 70-centiliter bottles of single malt from the country were exported to China in 2017, a rise of 190 percent compared with five years ago, and equivalent in value to 20 million pounds ($25 million).

Graeme Littlejohn, deputy director of strategy and communication at the association, said, “China is a key market for Scotch whisky with significant potential for growth, and the recent reduction of the tariff from 10 percent to 5 percent has helped exports grow in the first half of 2018.”

China’s anti-corruption campaign has meant that whisky sales in the country have had a bumpy ride in recent years. The export volume of all types of 70cl bottles of Scotch to China in 2012 peaked at 22.94 million, but fell to 14.74 million in 2017.

However, Littlejohn said there is growing evidence to suggest that business is picking up, especially with the strong demand for single malts driven by the increasing numbers of middleclass Chinese.

This interest is not only evidenced by record volumes of single malt exports to China, but also in the increasing number of visitors from the country to whisky distilleries in Scotland.

A record 1.9 million visits were made to the distilleries in 2017. Visitor centers reported that the highest number of tourists came from Germany and the United States, followed by those from India, China and Japan, Littlejohn said.

“There is significant room for growth as Chinese consumers learn more about the heritage, craft and quality of Scotch whisky,” he added.

Diageo, a leading British alcoholic beverages company that owns 28 distilleries, 12 of which have a visitor center, saw a 147 percent rise in Chinese arrivals at these centers in 2017.

Katie Waugh, visitor center marketing manager at Diageo, said: “When the Chinese think of Scotland, whisky is the most prominent link. This link with the whisky market in China and the growth in Chinese tourists is why we continue to see a growth in Chinese visitors to the distilleries.”

Waugh said she noted Chinese visitors were now arriving in Scotland as individual travelers, rather than with tour groups.

“The demographics of the Chinese travelers have changed — from the baby boom generation to 18- to 34-year-olds,” she said. “These travelers enjoy authentic experiences and are looking for bespoke tours, which is what Scotland and distilleries in particular are great at.”

Popular Edinburgh tourist attraction The Scotch Whisky Experience is also seeing a boom prompted by Chinese visitors. More than 14,400 tourists from the country visited the attraction during the first 11 months of last year.

Rosie Willmot, digital marketing manager at The Scotch Whisky Experience, said, “The number of Chinese visitors has increased by 100 percent in five years.

“Chinese made up 7 percent of all our visitors in 2017, and it was also the year that saw China become our thirdlargest international market, behind only the US and France.”

Willmot said Chinese visitors are becoming more interested in the provenance of the brands they buy.