The UK Drinks Twice As Much Bourbon As Irish Whiskey

When you think about whisky, most people think of scotch. And we talk a lot about scotch exports.

While scotch is the most popular type of whisky in the UK, what is the most popular imported whisky?

You might not be surprised to see that it’s American bourbon.

In 2020, the United States was the biggest supplier of whisky imported into the United Kingdom. Imports from the US came to over £74 million.

The Irish Republic was the second-biggest supplier, but with a little over half of the US values.

So, it’s safe to say we’re drinking a lot of bourbon.

UK Whisky Imports: Leading 5 Countries By Value In 2020

The leading five countries of origin for whisky imported into the United Kingdom in 2020, ranked by value.

Source: HM Revenue and Customs.

UK Whisky Imports

The EU were responsible for the largest value imports coming from any trading region in 2020.

North America was the second leading source of whiskey imports, with the US making up over 97% of that. Speaking in import volume, the UK imported 16 million litres of Whiskey in 2019.

Whisky From The UK

The sales volume of whisky manufactured in the UK amounted to over 740 thousand pure alcohol litres in 2019. That translated into over £4 billion in sales. The sales price of whisky per hectolitre of pure alcohol was £5,531.

But, of course, that isn’t only scotch whisky. English and Welsh whisky are on the rise, with more distilleries producing it every year.

The growth of whisky production in the UK presents fantastic investment opportunities.

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