Strong sales of malt whiskies lift sales for Edrington

Edrington's single malts, including The Macallan, performed strongly last year

Spirits group Edrington has reported a strong rise in revenue and profits, despite a fall in sales for its blended Scotch, The Famous Grouse.

Group revenue climbed by 6% to £754.4m, while pre-tax profit increased by 4% to £196.6m in the year to 31 March.

There was strong sales growth for its malt whiskies, The Macallan, Highland Park, The Glenrothes and Naked Grouse, as well as Brugal rum.

However, there was a decline of 8% in sales for The Famous Grouse.

'Challenging trading'

Glasgow-based Edrington attributed the brand's sales dip to the "continued challenging trading environment for blended Scotch" but added that it grew market share in a number of key markets, including the UK, Sweden, Russia, the Netherlands, France and Portugal.

The group's overall brand investment, which included advertising and promotional expenditure, rose by 7% during the year, to £137.3m.

Chief executive Scott McCroskie said the business had delivered strong international growth

In its annual statement, the company stated: "With the exception of a flat result in Europe, where the growth in our super premium brands was offset by the decline in standard, we experienced contribution growth in all of our other regions, as global demand for super premium spirits brands remained strong."

Chief executive Scott McCroskie said: "We have made further progress this year towards building the world's leading portfolio of exceptional super premium brands.

"The business has delivered strong international growth that reflects continuing consumer demand for our products, particularly in China, South East Asia and the USA, which is the world's largest market for premium spirits."