The State of Scotch Whisky
A data snapshot of Scotland's distilleries — malt & grain production, who owns what, the craft-distilling boom, and where the spirit is made. Figures in litres of pure alcohol (LPA) per year.
Annual production · malt vs grain
A handful of giant grain distilleries rival the entire malt sector for sheer volume.
Owned by… · capacity by group
Combined malt + grain capacity. One company towers over the rest.
The craft boom · distilleries founded per decade
More distilleries were founded in the 2010s than in any decade since records began — out-pacing even the Victorian boom of the 1890s.
The new wave · distilleries opened since 2015
The ghosts · distilleries lost & closed
The graph also tracks famous closed distilleries — the "silent stills" that fell mostly in the 1983–93 industry contraction. A few (Brora, Port Ellen, Rosebank) have since been resurrected; most are gone for good.
Beyond Scotland · England, Wales & Irish grain
Scotch dominates, but whisky is booming across the UK & Ireland. This graph tracks their grain distilleries in full; the malt counts below are published-industry figures.
By region
Capacity & site count.
Biggest distilleries
By capacity (LPA/yr).