As the heart of the whisky industry, Scotland is home to the finest producers in the world – but its place as spirit-making capital is under threat as the number of distilleries south of the Border increases for the second year running.
Scotland's gin boom has seen the juniper-infused spirit nose its way to the second spot as the country's national tipple, but its popularity hasn't stalled the expansion of the distilling industry in England.
With 186 distilleries across the country, from small independents producing craft products to whisky giants diversifying, Scotland produces 70 per cent of all UK gin sales.
Three of the world's best-selling gins are made in Scotland – Hendrick's, Gordon's and Tanqueray.
Although mighty, the industry remains small, with England now home to 228 distilleries, an increase of 62 since 2018. However in 2018, nine out of 10 distilling jobs were based in Scotland.
New HMRC figures show the number of distilleries registered in 2019 shot up to at least 441 as the UK boosted its distillery numbers by at least 80 last year.
In 2018, the number of distilleries in England overtook those in Scotland for the first time, with the latest figures showing English spirit makers continue to dominate the UK spirits map – but not the market.
This so-called "ginaissance" has meant gin sales in the UK have hit an all-time high, helping to fund new forays into spirit making, such as English and Welsh whisky and rums.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association's end of year market report showed a massive boost in gin sales last year, with 82 million bottles sold in the UK – worth more than £2.6 billion.
According to HMRC, £672 million of British gin was exported in 2019, taking total sales of the spirit at home and abroad to over
