The UK's Economy Is Powered by Whisky

When Scotland flirted with independence last autumn, many Scots weren't especially enthused with the prospect of sovereignty. Indeed, it's thanks to them that Scotland is still tethered to the United Kingdom.

Among the detractors was the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), which was particularly alarmed by the possibility of an independent Scotland adopting a new currency. At the time, the SWA's chief executive, David Frost, worried that independence could interfere with the whisky industry's access to foreign markets: "The nature of an independent Scotland's currency remains unclear, and self-evidently this could affect our exports, management of supply chains, pricing, and competitiveness."

And this wasn't mere profit-driven chicken little-ing from a niche industry. If a recent report from the SWA is to be believed, the Scotch whisky industry adds nearly £5 billion (about $7.5 billion) to the economy of the UK, making it bigger than the UK's iron and steel, textiles, shipbuilding, or computer industries.

Yes, the economy of the UK—the fifth-largest in the world—derives a sizable share of its wealth from distilled barley.

Whisky is Scotland's third-biggest industry overall, after energy and finance—but you can still personally make more money in whisky than you can in banking. The SWA notes that "the median weekly wage in the Scotch Whisky industry is £50 per week higher than that in Scottish financial and business services." The average salary in the whisky industry—which directly and indirectly supports 40,300 jobs across the UK, including everything from distilling to including glass manufacturing and labeling—is £47,000 per person.

Whisky is also the single-largest contributor to the UK's food and drink sector, outpacing meat production, fruit and vegetable farming, and especially the woeful dairy industry. It accounts for a quarter of all UK food and drink exports—£4.3 billion annually out of total food and drink exports worth £19.4 billion—with the majority of its whisky shipped abroad.

Perhaps even more shocking, the SWA claims that whisky workers are among the most productive in Scotland—even with their direct proximity to sweet, smoky booze. "They are around four times as efficient in production as employees in aerospace, life sciences, and the digital sectors," the report notes.

Now that is something to be proud of.