Hands up who was watching The Apprentice last night on BBC? The teams had to promote awareness of English sparkling wine.
The H1 figures, published by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), show that exports were valued at £1.47b.
Among the markets recording growth were South Africa (44%), the US (34%) and France (6%).
While in Greece “tough economic conditions” engendered down trading of 9%.
Gavin Hewitt, SWA chief executive, said: “Scotch whisky distillers continue quietly and consistently to deliver impressive exports in
many markets.”
Within the category, single malt scotch whisky exports rose by 31% to £242m, while blended shipments were up 9% to £1.1b.
Blended malt scotch whisky exports, according to the SWA, showed “strength” for the first time, with a value of £57m.
The SWA also found that global volumes of scotch whisky exports rose by 3%, a total of 477m bottles.
Hewitt added: “The industry welcomes the UK Coalition government’s commitment to support exports. With a trade white paper being developed, fair market access for scotch whisky must be a priority.
“We also look to the UK government to create a domestic business environment which supports exporters. Bold reform is needed at home to introduce a fair and socially responsible UK excise duty system, which also secures revenue to address the deficit.”
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