Exports of gin and craft beer from Scotland have grown during last year, new figures show. Whisky remains the “driving force of the UK food and drink industry”, however. It accounts for nearly a quarter of all exports each year.
Between January and October 2016, UK gin exports were worth £92m, an increase of 11% for the same period in 2015. Two-thirds of UK gin is produced in Scotland. A further 22 distilleries opened last year, with the same number of new breweries.
Between January and October 2016, exports of beer rose from £413m to £479m. The US, France, Ireland and South Korea were the biggest export markets.
But this is still far behind whisky, with £2.8bn of exports between January and September last year. The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said beer, whisky and gin form a key part of plans to further boost food and drink exports over the next five years, particularly to the US and Canada.
