Marking the completion of the company’s £100m investment in Scotch, Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, cabinet secretary for health & wellbeing, Scotland, officially opened a new £12m Johnnie Walker bottling line at Diageo’s Shieldhall plant in her Govan constituency.
The new line for the biggest-selling Scotch whisky brand will produce 300 bottles of the iconic brand per minute, translating into an estimated 4.5 million cases a year. The Shieldhall operation bottles 23 million cases of Scotch annually, which represents an impressive 25 per cent of Scotch whisky bottled globally. The extra capacity will allow Diageo to meet anticipated long-term demand in growing markets including Brazil, Russia, India, China and Mexico. The brand grew 16 per cent this year, representing a record of 15 million cases of Johnnie Walker exported from Scotland.
“Scotland needs a vibrant economy that can compete on a global stage and I’m delighted to see the kind of investment Diageo is making in Glasgow. The focus is on capitalising on our strengths, building on local expertise, and working towards sustainable economic growth,” said Surgeon.
The success of Johnnie Walker on the world stage contributes significantly to supporting Diageo’s 4,000 jobs in Scotland and accounted for £1 billion in global sales last year. The new bottling line is seen as an essential link in the supply chain operated in Scotland. It is also just one element of one of the biggest commitments to the growth in Scotch for decades, which, as previously announced, also sees Diageo spending £80million on expanding capacity in malt and grain distilling throughout Scotland, including the first new major malt distillery for more than 30 years.
“The packaging operation here is essential to a slick and efficient supply chain and the new line underpins our commitment to maintain and grow our business in Scotland. The extra capacity will help us meet demand for Johnnie Walker well into the future,” said Bryan Donaghey, MD, Diageo, Scotland.
Diageo is the world leader in premium drinks business. With its global vision and local marketing focus, Diageo brings to consumers an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across the spirits, wine and beer categories including Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Guinness, Baileys, JεB, José Cuervo, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyard wines. Diageo trades in some 180 countries around the world.
Scotland is one of Diageo’s largest spirit supply centres, responsible for producing over 50 million cases of leading brands of Scotch whisky and white spirits and over six million cases of ready–to-drink brands annually. Around 90 per cent of the brands produced in Scotland are sold overseas.
