Let’s hope 2025 is a better year for the scotch industry than 2024 has been, because news just arrived that exports of whisky from the U.K. were down by 36 percent over the first nine months of this year. And hey, Americans, it looks like we share some blame for this.
According to a new trade snapshot released by the Food & Drink Federation, a UK trade monitoring organization, alcohol exports declined in value by 36.4 percent from 2023 to 2024, the equivalent of 2.8 billion pounds, and in volume by 28.5 percent. The report goes on to say that this reduction of exports has contributed to an overall decline in whisky sales by nearly 30 percent, and the slump in exports to the U.S. has played a part here. The FDF says that America is the number three spot export partner behind France and Ireland for the U.K. (the latter country was the only market for which exports remained steady, by the way), and whisky sales were down by about 23 percent overall.
It’s not just whisky either, because gin took a big nosedive as well. Many major gin brands are distilled in the U.K., including Tanqueray and Beefeater. The category overall saw a decline of nearly 40 percent in sales to the U.S., while beer decreased by nearly eight percent. The categories that had the opposite trajectory and increased in value were things like salmon, exports of which increased by 40 percent (the U.S. represents 25 percent of all U.K. salmon exports), and the vaguely termed “animal oils” which saw a remarkable value increase of 1,513 percent. “These figures highlight the challenges that U.K. food and drink continue to face when selling their products abroad,” said Balwinder Dhoot, director of industry growth and sustainability at FDF, in a statement. “This is particularly true for the 12,000 SMEs (small to medium sized enterprise) in our industry, who struggle to overcome the administrative burdens of exporting. Providing more support for these businesses will help the U.K. strengthen its international trade and maintain its position on the global stage.”
On the flipside, imports of American whiskey to the U.K. decreased by about 26 percent in value, and wine by just over one percent. Vodka, on the other hand, bucked the trend and saw an increase of 32 percent in value, showing that this spirits category, despite its bland reputation, remains incredibly popular. Of course, all of this might be made even worse, even in regards to vodka, if Trump imposes tariffs on the E.U. again next year. This will likely spark a renewed trade war, and the effects on American spirits, particularly in the craft world, were not good the first time around. We will see what happens after January 20 and continue to report on this.
