Prime Minister hopeful Jeremy Hunt will call for a review of spirit duty while on a visit to Perth today.
He is due to appear alongside his rival Boris Johnson at a hustings event for Conservative party members in the Fair City on Friday evening.
Both candidates are expected to visit projects and businesses in and around the city ahead of their appearance in front of party members.
Before his visit, Mr Hunt laid out his position on the Scottish economy, arguing for a review of spirit duty.
He said he would launch a review “to establish the best path to economic growth and the most tax revenue”, saying Scottish whisky has an “in-built, natural and nostalgic advantage over its competitors”.
“There are markets that must be seized in South America and Asia,” he said.
“If we deliver a good Brexit deal and follow it with the right trade deals, we can continue the Scottish whisky boom.”
The Conservative leadership candidate said he had “a vision to restore Scotland’s economy to its historic strength by looking to the industries of the future.”
“My commitment to the union is second to none, but I don’t want to be a Prime Minister who declares myself “minister of the union” and thinks that’s enough,” he added.
“The entire country can become a green Silicon Valley and an exporting powerhouse that leads the UK, not the other way around.
“Historically, Scotland has excelled at promoting ideas and inventions globally. Where there is an existing market advantage – in Fintech, BioTech, or the food and drink industry – I will seek to drive that home.
Pete Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire and chairman of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said the Conservatives could have already boosted the whisky industry during their time in power at Westminister.
“Whisky is Scotland’s iconic export,” he said.
“It has contributed a great deal to the Treasury through the years. It is about time the Treasury started to think about giving something back.”
He said he had heard promises to put Scotland in the driving seat before.
“I remember this being said during the independence referendum but what has, in fact, happened is Scotland has been ignored, disrespected and parliament has been undermined.
“We are now going to see the Conservative candidates promise the earth to Scotland, but many of these relate to issues they could easily have dealt with over the past few years.”
