The first minister said she believed the expertise of the whisky industry in exporting could be used to drive other sectors to internationalise.
Answering questions from business leaders at an event in central London, Ms Sturgeon insisted there were lessons to be learned from the field’s “wealth of experience and success”.
She said she had held talks with the Scotch Whisky Association to discuss what government could do to support the sector.
She added: “In a sense, it’s how the whisky industry can help us in terms of what we are doing to try and encourage other sectors, to internationalise and export.
“That expertise we can use to drive movement in the rest of the economy.”
Earlier in her speech, she said the value of Scotland’s exports had increased by 20% in the last three years for which figures were available.
But she stressed: “We want to do even more.
“We’re doing this, partly because exports are in themselves beneficial for jobs and growth and also because we know companies which internationalise are also more likely to innovate.
“They learn new ideas, adopt new technologies and grow in confidence and ambition.
“And so support for internationalisation won’t just boost our balance of trade; it will also improve our productivity.
“And in all of this, we’re aiming very firmly and very explicitly to ensure that growth in our economy is inclusive – that it benefits all sectors of our society, and all parts of our country.”