Scotland

Where to start, oh yes, the water of life, uisge beatha, whisky. The amber bead – produced in over 150 distilleries - accounts for around 75% of Scottish food and drink exports, to a value of over £5 billion a year. The variety of Scotch whisky is what allows so many distilleries to thrive - each produces at least one unique style of new-make spirit – and that’s before maturation and blending. While single-malt Scotch grabs most of the attention; and blended whisky sells the most bottles; categories such as single grain and blended malts are worthy of exploration too. Scotland also accounts for over 70% of Britain’s gin production, it also has a thriving craft beer culture and is gaining a reputation for producing high-quality rums.

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