The number of breweries in Scotland has increased by almost 230% since 2010, thanks in part to drinkers’ growing taste for craft beers.
In 1970 there were 11 breweries in Scotland, but a new report from the independent Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) said that number has “increased massively”.
There are now 115 breweries across the country – of which more than four-fifths are micro-breweries.
??The unprecedented boom in #distilling and #brewing over the last decade has continued, according to the most recent data from @ONS. This SPICe briefing looks at the facts & figures around two industries which play a vital role in Scotland’s economy https://t.co/VeOkbn7UK3 pic.twitter.com/b6ba8F54lc
— Scottish Parliament (@ScotParl) October 11, 2018
The Spice report said: “Globally, beer consumption has been falling for decades. However, this has not dampened the significant brewery start-up rate, responding to consumers choosing to drink more expensive, specialised beers.
“Scotland’s craft breweries have flourished over recent years with a plethora of new breweries entering the market.
“Year-on-year over the period 2010 to 2018, the number of breweries has increased. This rapid period of expansion has resulted in the beer manufacturing business base increasing by 229% over the eight-year period.”
While just four local authority areas contained breweries in 2010, now half – 16 of the 32 separate regions – are home to at least one brewing business.
“Both urban and rural areas have benefited from the explosive growth of the sector,” the report found.
“Edinburgh and Highland local authority areas have the highest intensity of brewing activity in Scotland.”
Breweries had an average turnover of £271,310 in 2018 – lower than the average business turnover of £673,000.
But 10% of breweries had sales levels worth over £1 million, while just over half (52%) had turnover levels that were below £100,000.
The research also found Scotland has 128 malt and grain distilleries, giving the country the largest concentration of whisky producers in the world.
In addition there are more than 60 distilleries producing gin in Scotland, with more than 110 varieties of Scottish gin available.
Overall, the spirits industry makes up 3% of Scottish GDP, with nine out of 10 distilling jobs in the UK being located north of the border.
Average turnover across all Scottish distilleries was approximately £5.3 million each in 2018, according to the report.
