Nearly 70 per cent of malt distilleries are ultimately owned by companies outside Scotland with wealthy people linked to the whisky industry including a French fashion billionaire, an Australian yoghurt tycoon, a Swiss philanthropist and Thailand’s richest man.
The Ferret can reveal that of the 126 Scots distilleries only a third (42) are owned by Scottish firms.
Companies based in Bermuda, Gibraltar, China, France, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand are among those investing in an industry which was worth £3.8bn to the Scottish economy in 2020.
Foreign investment has been welcomed by some commentators. But others expressed concern that profit could flow out of Scotland and domestic industry be excluded.
Who owns Scotland s whisky revealed as nearly 70% owned by non-Scots firms heraldscotland.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldscotland.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.