THE number of people working in Scotland’s brewery trade has increased by 150% in a year, according to parliamentary figures.
About 2500 people were employed in the industry in 2017-18, up from 1000 on the previous financial year, research by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice) found.
The number of jobs in Scottish distilleries reached 10,000, a rise of roughly 2000 on the previous year.
Spice said there are now 280 distilleries in Scotland producing whisky and gin, a 93% increase since 2010.
While 23 of Scotland’s local authorities have a distilling business, 40% of employment is based in either Glasgow, Fife or Moray – the predominant source of Speyside whisky.
Average turnover for Scottish distilleries was about £5.3 million in 2019, compared to the average turnover of £689,000 for all businesses in the Scottish economy.
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