The spurt in Scotch exports to India has been recorded after the government abolished additional import duty on imported spirits in 2007. Exports to India rose by 36 per cent worth 33 million pounds.

The Scotch whisky industry believes India is one of the largest markets and exports to that country are set to rise exponentially due to the growth of the middle class.

The figures show that Scotch whisky exports earned 90 pounds every second for the UK balance of trade in 2007, with the value of shipments increasing by 14 per cent to reach a new record of 2.8 billion pounds.

The SWA revealed export volume was also at a historic high in 2007, growing 8 per cent, with the equivalent of 1,135 million bottles of Scotch whisky shipped overseas.

Bottled blended Scotch whisky exports broke the 2 billion barrier for the first time, with shipment value up 15 per cent (to 2.22 billion pounds). Bottled malt exports also rose by 11 per cent in value (to 454 million pounds).