Consumption evolving

Oksana Pevtsova, regional president for eastern Europe and Asia at Bacardi, one of the world's largest privately-held spirits companies, said the Chinese market is extremely dynamic and consumption trends in the country continue to evolve.

"We are seeing the next generation of consumers displaying significantly higher levels of interest toward Western spirits, so we believe there is a very bright future in China and we are gearing up to capitalize on this growth," she added.

In October, Bacardi launched Whisky Emporium, its world-first permanent boutique in Hainan, a significant milestone in the company's mission to expand its whisky business in China.

Pevtsova said: "Bacardi will strategically extend its geographic footprint in China over time. The initial focus will be on covering the four first-tier cities and the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. In the next phase, we will extend our reach to other key provincial markets."

According to the Scotch Whisky Association, desire among Chinese consumers saw the value of single malt whisky exports to the country rise from 3.4 million pounds in 2010 to more than 66 million pounds in 2020.

Francois Saurel, Macallan's regional managing director for Asia Pacific, said, "Overall business performance in China has grown rapidly in recent years, with consumer demand across the market increasing fast."

As it continues to gain traction at venues and events in key cities, including Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing, the company sees China as the market with most potential in the Asia-Pacific region.

Saurel said that compared with consumers in other parts of the world, Chinese tend to be more diversified and quicker to adapt to new trends and products. They have a preference for premium products and enjoy a high-quality lifestyle.

"We are also seeing the emergence of more young consumers in the Scotch whisky market across China, who are social media-savvy and more open to e-commerce shopping," he said.

In addition to the rapid growth in Scotch imports, industry experts believe China will become an exporter of its own whisky.

Shaikh, from the UK Department for International Trade, said: "Many companies are developing their stills and using Scottish technology and know-how to help get their distilleries up and running."

He believes that whisky will become an area of shared expertise and mutual appreciation.

With support from the Scotch Whisky Association and several major whisky companies in Scotland, Shaikh said, "China is currently drafting new standards for recognizing the uniqueness of Scottish whisky … ensuring that its recognized quality is not diluted, and that products coming out of China can match the excellence of the products entering the country from Scotland and the rest of the UK."