Facts and figures

[JamesM85]

Hello All,
I have been hijacked to organise a whisky night locally. I was looking for some figures to use on the night. I wondered if anyone one had at hand:-

How much of the worlds whisky is currently produced in Scotland? (percent or otherwise)
What is the current size of the Scottish angel share?

I have looked around but can't find anything remotely this century. Please give your sources.

Thanks in advance
James

[Archer]

I believe the majority of the worlds whisky is produced in Scotland. The angels share will depend on the cask the whisky is stored in, temperature, location but on average it is said that the angels take 2% each year.

I am sure someone here will have some official figures.

[Alastair]

As Archer says at least 2% of the whisky in each barrel evaporates through the oak each year. The exact percentage of the angels share depends on each individual barrel and where it is stored.

In low humidity conditions, the loss to evaporation may be mainly water. In higher humidities, more alcohol than water will evaporate, therefore reducing the alcoholic strength of the whisky.

[JamesM85]

Ok, probably my fault. I am aware of this. let me rephrase the second question:-

How much (Litres, barrels..),roughly, whisky is sat in barrels in the combined warehouses in Scotland?
Where i use barrels in the loose sense of any cylindrical wooden container.

[William]

Hi James

I have some facts & figures from 2010 that you may find of interest, they will not be that far out of date, if anything production has increased since 2010 due to the surge in popularity of Scotch whisky and the new and expanding markets such as China, Russia, India and Brazil.

Scotch Whisky Facts (correct in 2010)

Some 20 million casks lie maturing in warehouses in Scotland.

Exports generated £3.45 billion for the UK balance of trade, a record high.

Exports earned £109 every second. 34 bottles were shipped overseas each second.

83 million cases were exported worldwide.

Laid end to end they would stretch 29,952kms - or nearly six times the distance between Edinburgh and New York.

10,300 employed in the Scotch Whisky industry - many in economically deprived areas.

35,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry.

£600 million contributed to the Exchequer in taxes.

To be Scotch Whisky, the spirit must mature in oak casks in Scotland for at least 3 years.

108 distilleries licensed to produce Scotch Whisky

Scotch Whisky accounts for a quarter of UK food and drink exports.

Scotch Whisky is sold in 200 markets worldwide.

Scotch Whisky sells three times its nearest rival whisky.

Over £1bn a year is invested across the industry's supply chain.

£2.7bn in Gross Value Added contributed annually to the Scottish economy.

Drinkers in the UK often choose to enjoy it with just a little water, but in Spain they mix it with cola, in Japan

Scotch is enjoyed with lots of water and ice, and in China with cold green tea.

More Scotch is sold in one month in France than Cognac in a year.

Not sure if this article i added to the site in 2010 may interest you also:
www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/whiskypower100.htm

Again these figures are from 2010 but if you look up the Power 100 website the figures for 2011 should be there. I believe the volume fall in sales Johnnie Walker experienced in 2010 they regain in 2011.
_________________
There's no bad whisky. Just good whisky and better whisky.

[JamesM85]

Thanks William that's a big help!

I do herald from north of the border and have a rather expensive whisky habit already. Probably the reason i was seconded. So, some of this is not news. However lots of it will come in very handy. Thanks again.

[Creed]

I believe the latest figure is that Scotch whisky exports now earn £125 per second.