“No” Vote Means Our Scotch Whisky is Safe!

As we write, Sky News in the U.K. is calling the Scottish election in favor of Scotland staying in the United Kingdom.  Whew!  We’re definitely not getting into a debate about the merits or not of separation.  We’re focused on what’s really important and that’s an uninterrupted supply of Scotch Whisky to the U.S.A.

We’d seen several reports, especially one from Rabobank, a Dutch organization, that independence would affect the whisky industry.  Without access to the European Union, raw materials such as barley, could be in short supply.  Access to the European markets, which account for 37% of Scotch exports, could suffer, not to mention uncertainty about the currency of the newly independent Scotland, the risk of rising interest rates and increased import tariffs in its key markets.  Just think what all that could do to small producers.

The Scotch Whisky Association cautioned that exclusion from the EU markets would be “damaging and difficult to manage”.  Whisky exports in 2013 amounted to $US7 billion and the industry employs about 35,000 workers.

So here’s a wee late night toast to the canny Scots who voted to stay in the United Kingdom and keep the flow of Scotch Whisky coming across “the pond” to America and to our liquor cabinet.  Cheers!