It sales down amid coronavirus, Brexit, and US tariffs, Scotch whisky distillery draws on its history to lift spirits
- Scotland’s oldest whisky maker, the Glenturret Distillery, sees a drop in tourism because of coronavirus and in exports because of Brexit and American tariffs
- But the industry has overcome two world wars, Prohibition and the Great Depression, and Glenturret’s boss says: ‘We just know we’re going to get through it’
It has survived world wars, Prohibition and The Great Depression, but this may very well be the toughest time yet for Scotland’s oldest whisky maker.
The Glenturret Distillery, on the banks of the River Turret two miles (three kilometres) northwest of the town of Crieff, was established in 1763 and is a popular stop for whisky enthusiasts. Apart from the rushing river and a distiller rolling oak barrels into a filling house, The Glenturret, which closed to visitors during the Covid-19 lockdown, is eerily quiet.
Travel restrictions that came with the pandemic have caused sales to fall at the distillery, in pubs and restaurants, and at airport duty-free shops. But it is a 25 per cent tariff on Scotch imposed by the United States in October 2019 – which are to be suspended temporarily, the BBC reported on Thursday – and now a slow-down in exports to Europe after the end of the Brexit transition that is hitting profits the hardest.
“It has been a really tough period for us with [Covid-19], US tariffs and Brexit as well,” says the distillery’s managing director, John Laurie. “[Covid-19] in particular affects our tourism. Then the export markets have been impacted by Brexit, and Scottish whisky tariffs in America have been really troublesome.”
Laurie said the increased paperwork and export requirements after Britain’s departure from the European single market on December 31 had delayed shipments to the bloc. The distillery warns customers on its website that shipments to the EU have been put on hold while it tries to get deliveries going again.