Single malt Scotch is the latest consumer item to join the endangered list. Yes, the surge in global popularity for the upscale Scotch products has experts predicting a shortage. The Scotch Whisky Association reports that single malt exports rose 159% between 2004 and 2014. Single malt distillers like Macallan are starting to add capacity, but the supply will have a hard time meeting demand in the short term, signaling price increases for what’s already a premium item.
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The prediction is causing the sort of alarm caused by the announcement in 2014 that the world was approaching “Peak Cocoa” and could soon “run out of chocolate.” Again an increased global demand is the culprit in the chocolate threat, with a 14-fold increase expected by 2030. The Scotch problem is mainly a manufacturing deficit, but chocolate’s potential shortage is also a matter of a natural resource problem.
