Scotch whisky has been in the spotlight on the global stage with John Swinney raising the issue of US tariffs with Donald Trump. Business Editor Ian McConnell looks at the big picture.

Scotch whisky has certainly been in the global spotlight this week.

First Minister John Swinney’s appeal to US President Donald Trump to remove or reduce the 10% tariff on Scotch imports to the US has understandably attracted much media attention.

It remains to be seen what happens following what Mr Swinney described as a “constructive discussion”.

However, the First Minister’s emphasis of how a “zero for zero” approach on tariffs would help distillers in Scotland and the US seems like a fair enough pitch.

Outlining the discussions with the US President in a LinkedIn post, Mr Swinney said: “Scotch whisky is not only vital for our economy, it is a truly unique product - it can only be made in Scotland.

"In my conversations with President Trump, I pressed the case for reducing US tariffs on our whisky industry - an approach also backed by American producers.”

He added: “The US is not only the biggest market for Scotch, but Scottish distillers also invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year in Bourbon casks........

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