Scottish whisky market slides into supply glut amid falling sales and US tariffs
Global sales fall by 3% in third consecutive year of decline as distilleries scale back production or expand storage
TL;DR
- Scottish whisky market experiencing a supply glut.
- US tariffs and falling alcohol consumption are key factors.
- Global scotch sales have declined for three consecutive years.
- Diageo is scaling back production at several distilleries and pausing operations at others.
- US tariffs are estimated to cost the scotch sector £4 million per week.
- Overall scotch sales in the US fell 6% in the first nine months of 2025.
- Broader decline in alcohol consumption is contributing to the slump.
- Some producers are investing in additional storage for unsold stock.
- The broader whisky market shows more resilience than scotch specifically.