According to The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), France imported 176 million bottles of whisky last year, making it the biggest market for the spirit by volume. India was next with 136 million bottles, followed by the United States (126 million), Brazil (82 million) and Japan (56 million).

The report also stated that around 40 bottles of Scotch whisky were exported every second in 2021, in comparison to 36 per second in 2020. In terms of volume, the increase in demand resulted in 1.3 billion bottles of whisky being shipped to 174 markets last year.

It's also worth noting that, in terms of market value, the US was the most valuable Scotch market. The US spent almost £790/$910 million on Scotch whisky over the same period, almost £400/$472 million more than France (£386.6m/$445million).

Top 10 markets by volume in 2021:

1. France – 176m
2. India – 136m
3. United States – 126m
4. Brazil – 82m
5. Japan – 56m
6. Spain – 48m
7. Mexico – 48m
8. Germany – 46m
9. Poland – 45m
10. Russia – 42m

Mark Kent, the chief executive of SWA, said: "The global footprint of the industry in 2021 is a clear sign that the Scotch whisky industry is on the road to recovery.
“Value and volume are both up as consumers return to bars and restaurants, people return to travel and tourism, and we all return to a degree of normality after a period of enormous uncertainty for consumers and business.”