Whiskey Industry in the UK - Statistics & Facts

Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage that is distilled through the use of fermented grain mash. Scotch Whisky, the kind of whisky the United Kingdom is most known for, is a whisky produced in Scotland. To qualify as a Scotch the whisky must not only be made in Scotland but also be made only from a cereal, water and yeast, aged for at least three years in oak barrels, be distilled at no more than 94.8 percent abv (alcohol by volume), be bottled at a minimum of 40 percent abv, and have no additional flavoring or sweeteners added. The retail spirits market, as a whole, was worth 8.99 billion GBP in the United Kingdom in 2021. Whiskey constituted about 17 percent of that value at 1.47 billion pounds.

Market Landscape

Manufacturers sales of whiskey produced in the United Kingdom reached 4.1 billion pounds in the same year. Much of that whiskey was destined for foreign markets. The UK was, by far, the leading exporter of whiskey worldwide in 2021. Over 8.8 billion U.S. dollars (6.4 billion GBP) worth of the beverage was exported from the UK. The European Union was the purchaser of most of the UK's whiskey exports and the bulk of those exports were Scotch whiskey.

Consumption

There were over nine million whiskey drinkers in the UK in 2021, nearly 2.4 million of which drank whiskey once a week or more. Total consumption of whiskey in the United Kingdom sank to 49.1 million liters in 2021, a reduction of over four percent compared to 2020 and 13 percent compared to 2019. Per capita consumption stood at 0.72 liters and is expected to remain relatively unchanged in the future. Famous Grouse was the preferred brand of blended Scotch in the UK.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Jan Conway, Jan 11, 2023

Key insights

Spirits market revenue in the UK
10.67bn USD
Sales of whisky manufactured in the UK
5.1bn GBP
Whisky sales volume in the UK
49.1m liters
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Volume of the whisky market in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2027 (in million litres)

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Leading whiskey brands ranked by on-trade sales value in the United Kingdom in 2022 (in million GBP)

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Leading whiskey brands in the United Kingdom 2022, by on-trade sales value

Volume of whisky exports from the United Kingdom (UK) from 2003 to 2022* (in million liters)

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Whisky export volume in the United Kingdom (UK) 2003-2022

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