As an election goes on in the British province, economic doubts arise: what would happen to Scotland's whiskey, named "whisky" in the United Kingdom, if tomorrow's results point to a "YES" to Scottish independence? The country's whisky, which is the only one that can be named "Scotch" (when it is made in Scotland and has been matured for three years), amounts to 1 in every 5 pounds of Scottish exports, Vice reports.
Also, as Scotland's whisky is a British product, it also means it applies in EU's different trade conventions among members; however, if Scotland becomes a new country, it would cease to be a member of the European Union and would only begin the process of membership, which can go on for years.
As things are right now, Scotch takes up a fourth of the entire food and drinks industry in the United Kingdom. Also, Scotland's whisky is the third most powerful industry in the land, right after oil and banking - industries with unsure destinies as it is, since Scottish oil reserves are not calculated to be able to last for another fifty years, and there is a possibility that British banks will leave if the land of William Wallace becomes an independent State.
So, what happens to Scotland's whisky? For starters, the sales would skyrocket, because it would no longer be an easy-to-gather commodity, but rather one coming from a country with unstable political and economic conditions; this would happen in America, the European Union countries and just about any other place on the globe that imports Scotch. Because of this perspective, the Scotch Whiskey Association has expressed its concerns about the instability of the industry if the independence were to become a reality, since it would mean the product is no longer under the wing of the United Kingdom, the world's 6th biggest economy.
In the short term, this might mean a boom in Indian distilleries - as India's a major consumer of whiskey, having consumed roughly half of the world's supply in 2012, according to an article by the Wall Street Journal.
Things being as they are, Scotland's whisky fans will have to wait until all the ballots are cast to know the future of their beloved drink.
