Scotland is now exporting whisky directly to China
Scotland has just formed their first-ever direct container service to China. Not only is this a monumental moment for global exports, but it is creating many opportunities for whisky dealers wanting to tap into the Asian market. This new direct shipment service will allow thousands of cases of whisky to be moved per trip with little chance of encountering delays.
The Allseas Pioneer
The Allseas Pioneer will travel between Scotland’s Greenock Ocean Termina in Dunoon and the industrial hub in Ningbo located in the east of China. The route will be operated by six ships and on each shipment back from China, Scotland will receive textiles, toys and furniture.
The maiden voyage alone has transported over a million bottles of the beloved spirit directly to China. This will allow the expected increase in demand to be satisfied through more frequent and reliable shipments.
Why is the change so important?
By having a direct container service to China, Scottish distilleries can reduce the days each shipment will take by roughly 27 days. Currently, the journey takes 60 days which includes a stop at Rotterdam. But with the new partnership between KC Liner Agencies, DKT Allseas and China Xpress, the journey should take just over a month. This trip will be made 36 times a year, allowing for export figures unheard of in the Chinese whisky market.
Additionally, since each ship can carry 1,600 containers, other goods can be exported across the countries more reliably.
Whisky marketing growing
In our article “Is China the next big market for whisky”, we covered how the Asia Pacific market is set to grow to $2.4bn by 2026. This will occur through not only the increase in exports but the emergence of whisky distilleries in the country.
Key players like Diageo have invested millions into this market within the past 5 years alone. In fact, in 2021 news broke of Diageo investing $75m to create the first Chinese-origin whisky distillery.
With the rising demand across the Asian markets being public knowledge, most beverage companies need to start considering introducing distilleries abroad.
What do the experts have to say?
The Clydeport director at Peel Ports, Jim McSporran, said: “It’s great to finally welcome this vital service to Greenock Ocean Terminal.”
He would leave another comment expressing how positive this development will be for “businesses and customers” by “boosting the wider supply chain”.
From the KC Group, David Milne, the Shipping Managing Director, said: “We knew China Xpress was a service needed by many sectors, but still, we’ve been amazed at the level of immediate interest. It’s been a phenomenal success for KC Group Shipping, but this is just the first of many journeys and we need the support of Scottish importers and exporters to safeguard the long-term future of this new service.”
Investing in whisky
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