Scottish brewery sector doubles since 2010

New SPICe figures reveal that in 2016 there were 115 breweries and 190 distilleries situated across 21 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

Figures also show that in 2016, 950 workers were employed in Scotland’s breweries – a 64 per cent increase since 2011.

The growth comes on the back of SNP Government policies to foster growth by helping companies, especially small businesses, to thrive.

Edinburgh and the Highlands both have the highest concentration of breweries (16 per cent each) – the top two most visited regions in Scotland according to Visit Scotland research published this week.

SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Kate Forbes, said: “This growth environment has been fostered by an ambitious SNP Scottish Government working closely with public bodies and industry to support jobs, infrastructure and the economy, including via the £500m Scottish Growth Fund.

“Scotland’s breweries are providing a wealth of job opportunities in my constituency, with three distilleries and a brewery on Skye alone, and increasing our offering of home grown products for the rising tourist numbers.

“Over the past seven years food and drink start-ups in Scotland have had a higher survival rate and have grown at a faster rate than in the rest of the UK as well as contributing £1.2bn worth of exports to the Scottish economy in the first three months of 2017.”