Craft beer scene booming

Patriotism and craft beer seem to go together well as the tiny country of Scotland boasts lots of craft breweries. According to the BBC, there are 115 breweries across Scotland this year, compared with just 35 in 2010. More than 80 percent are microbreweries. One in three sits either in the Highlands or in Edinburgh.

Money-wise, they are small businesses. Their average turnover was only GBP 271,310 (USD 350,000), which is lower than the average business turnover of GBP 673,000. But 10 percent of craft breweries had sales levels worth over GBP 1 million (BrewDog must be among those), while just over half (52 percent) had turnover levels that were below GBP 100,000 (USD 130,000).

Currently, there are 128 malt and grain distilleries in Scotland, giving the country the largest concentration of whisky producers in the world. Guess what, distilleries north of the border have treacherously gone with the tide. Half of them are now producing gin too.

Overall, the spirits industry makes up 3 percent of Scottish Gross Domestic Product, with nine out of ten distilling jobs in the UK being located north of the border. Average turnover across all Scottish distilleries was approximately GBP 5.3 million (USD 6,8 million).