Scotch whisky full of eastern promise

Industry to target Eastern European and Far East markets

THE SCOTCH whisky brand, The Macallan, has just announced that it is to become the first of the Scotch Whiskies to open an office in China.

The aim of the new office, to be based in Shanghai, is to boost sales in China and Asia, where demand for malts is still strong.  It is expected to play a major role in a multi-million pound investment in the area by parent company Edrington.

The move was made official at a conference in Shanghai, which was co-sponsored by The Macallan brand, at which the Prime Minister Tony Blair was present.  The other big news for Scotch whisky is that new opportunities in Eastern Europe are on the horizon, as tariffs are lifted from eight countries which are preparing to join the European Union.

Under EU rules neither tariffs nor quotas can apply to goods shipped within the single market and eight of the ten countries preparing to join next year, have managed to lift spirits tariffs early.

"The removal of tariffs on Scotch whisky has been the industry’s top priority," says Tim Jackson, director of international affairs at The Scotch Whisky Association. "Earlier enlargements of the EU demonstrate the wealth of opportunities for us.

Five years after Spain’s accession, the sales of Scotch Whisky had almost trebled.  "Our focus now," he continues, "is to ensure that the two accession countries still applying tariffs (Poland and Cyprus) remove these burdens before joining the EU."