The Updated Scotch Whisky Map

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has released online a new and updated map of Scotch Whisky Distilleries covering every grain and single malt whisky distillery in Scotland at this point in time. Worth downloading and using as reference material for anyone with interest in the subject.

The Scotch Whisky Distilleries map is available here to view – big-map-of-scotch-whisky-scotch-whisky-association-2024.

Scotch whisky can only be made in Scotland and by definition must be distilled and matured (in Scotland) for a minimum of 3 years. Scotch Whisky has been made for more than 500 years and uses just a few natural raw materials – water, cereals, and yeast.

Scotland is home to around 145 malt and grain distilleries, making it the greatest concentration in the world. Many of the Scotch Whisky distilleries featured on this map bottle some of their production for sale as Single Malt (i.e. the product of one distillery) or Single Grain Whisky.

However, the majority of all Scotch Whisky is consumed as Blended Scotch Whisky. This means as many as 50 of the different Single Malt and Single Grain Whiskies are blended together, ensuring that the individual Scotch Whiskies harmonise with one another and the quality and flavour of each individual blend remains consistent down the years.

There are five official main categories of Scotch Single Malt regions – Highland, Lowland, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown – according to the geographical location of the distillery in which it is made. In many ways, the geography and climate of each region influences the character of the whisky produced there.

The map details all distilleries and their respective owners.

Some more facts and figures about Scotch Whisky (source: SWA):

• Scotch Whisky exports were valued at £5.6bn in 2023, with 1.35bn bottles exported, equating to 43 bottles per second.
• The value of exports are down by 9.5% on 2022, but up 14% on pre-pandemic levels (2019). By volume, exports are down 19% on 2022, but up 3% on 2019 figures.
• Exports of Single Malt Scotch Whisky topped £2bn for the first time.
• Asia Pacific was the most valuable export region with exports worth £1.8bn, down by 1.4% on 2022, but up 45% on 2019.
• The US market, historically Scotch Whisky’s first £1bn market, dropped to £978m in export value for 2023, with 127m bottles exported. Value figures are down by 7% on 2022, and 8.5% on 2019; volume has fallen by 7% compared to 2022, and remains steady compared to 2019.
• India, Scotch Whisky’s priority growth market, had export value of £278m in 2023, down by 22% on 2022 but up by 31% on 2019. The equivalent of 167m bottles were exported to India in 2023, down by 24% on 2022, but up by 27% on 2019.
• The 2023 figures, which show a decrease on 2022 export numbers, demonstrate a more normalised depiction of year on year exports for Scotch Whisky, with figures up on pre-pandemic exports for volume and value. However, the industry is seeing a global cost of living crisis impact consumers in markets around the world, as well as stock management in-market, both of which accounted for a drop in exports.