Salmond says Scotland will grow rich from its North Sea oil reserves once it is free of meddling politicians in London who have wasted the country's energy wealth. Salmond wants to funnel a portion of that revenue into a special fund like the one in Norway, which has set aside the equivalent of $883 billion for future generations.
"We're not saying that the day after independence we'll all wake up and find there are three taps in every house - whisky, oil and water. We're not saying that," Salmond told The Associated Press. "We're saying if we work together over a period of time, we can build a more prosperous and a more just society."
Alistair Darling, who leads the Better Together campaign, argues that prosperity is best guaranteed by Scotland remaining an integral part of Britain. Darling, who was British Treasury chief at the onset of the 2008 financial crisis, underscores that North Sea oil production is already declining and future revenue is uncertain. He has portrayed the nationalists as deceptive, arguing for example that a 650-page report explaining the nationalists' plans lacks heft - offering more mentions of the celebrity television show "Strictly Come Dancing" than of the whisky industry.
One independent analysis suggests advocates of secession may have overestimated Scotland's energy windfall.
Some 84 percent of British oil reserves are in Scottish waters, meaning an independent Scotland would receive the lion's share of future tax revenue from those assets. That translates to about 7 billion pounds ($11.6 billion) a year based on government forecasts, according to the London-based National Institute for Economic and Social Research. However, an independent state would lose roughly the same amount in transfer payments that the central British government now sends to Scotland, the institute said in a February report.
With North Sea oil production likely to decline beginning in 2018, Scotland may actually be left with a shortfall that would require it to find new sources of revenue to maintain public spending, according to the report.
Whisky differs from oil in that it is not only a source of money and jobs, but has become one of the most pervasive and recognizable symbols for Scotland internationally.
The drink, which has been distilled in Scotland since at least 1494, was popularized globally by Hollywood after World War II. The promotion of single malt whisky added another dimension to the market, which exploded in terms of sales in the last decade.
"You're buying a very carefully made and complex product," said Charles MacLean, a leading expert on Scotland's whisky industry. "You're buying the blood of one small nation."
The members of the Scotch Whisky Association are clear - they will work with whoever is in power. But who will that be?
"If there's one certainty of this process, (it's) that Scotch whisky will still be made in Scotland whatever happens," said David Williams, the association's spokesman.
