Whisky has evolved from simply being a drink on its own to being part of an overall holistic lifestyle. Today people who appreciate fine single-malt scotch whisky are also thought to have an appreciation for fashion, travel, watches, cars and luxury pursuits. All of these things can go together hand in hand.

There was a period during the 1980s when there was an excess of Scotch Whisky production that was the result of erroneous market assumptions. This resulted in a ‘lake’ of unsellable whisky because of the miscalculation in demand. This became known as the ‘Whisky Loch’. During this period twenty distilleries closed, production slowed by 35% and 20 years later there was still a large quantity of undesired 3 year old whisky.

New markets opening due to the ever-growing middle class in India, China and South America point towards a promising future for Scotch Whisky and single malts in particular; there is currently no fear of another Whisky Loch occurring anytime soon.

A combination of non-aged whiskies are often being used to appeal to new and younger audiences. Refined approaches to marketing and branding are being explored. Also, with the resurgence in the demand for Scotch Whisky, the supply of aged single malts has been somewhat depleted resulting in higher prices for these whiskies. The new blends, on the other hand, have a more favourable price point. These new blended whiskies can also become the base for a variety of nice whisky cocktails.

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