Whisky earns UK £90 a second

EXPORTS of Scotch whisky earned the UK economy £90 every second, new figures have shown.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said the value of shipments rose by 14 per cent in 2007 to reach a record high of £2.8 billion.

The volume of whisky exported also hit a historic high of 1.13 billion bottles, which was up eight per cent up on the previous year.

Bottled blended Scotch exports also broke the £2bn barrier for the first time, with value rising by 15 per cent to £2.22bn. Paul Walsh, SWA chairman, said the showing confirmed whisky's importance to Scotland's economy.

He said: "This is all the more impressive given the economic difficulties in certain markets during the second half of 2007, and demonstrates that Scotch whisky's international appeal can mitigate against individual market or regional fluctuations."