15 Speyside Whisky distilleries close doors to visitors amid virus threat
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FIFTEEN Speyside Whisky distilleries are now off-limits to visitors as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A raft of distillery visitor centres have closed or have temporarily suspended tours following a decision taken last week by William Grant and Sons to close Glenfiddich and The Balvenie visitor centres, at Dufftown.
Although public access has been limited, whisky-making operations remain unaffected.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said it was too early to assess what impact the closures would have. The SWA has created a new page on its website to list any whisky industry related closures, which will be updated daily as the situation develops, at https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/insights/coronavirus/.
In Speyside, visitor access has been restricted at Aberlour, The Balvenie, BenRiach, Cardhu, Cragganmore, GlenAllachie, Glendronach, Glenfiddich, Glenglassaugh, The Glenlivet, Glen Moray, Knockdhu, The Macallan, Strathisla and Tamnavulin.
The Speyside Cooperage Visitor Centre is operating as usual with heightened hygiene procedures and is monitoring the situation.
Twenty-one Highland distilleries have limited public access, as well as two Lowlands whisky operations and four Islay whisky makers.
An SWA spokesperson said: "This is a rapidly changing situation. It is too early to assess at this stage what the impact on the Scotch Whisky industry will be.
"Despite some inevitable disruption to exports, global travel retail and tourism to distillery visitor centres, we remain confident in the long-term growth opportunities for Scotch Whisky at home and abroad.
"Our member companies are working with local authorities in the UK and in export markets to ensure we are playing our full role in helping to contain the virus in affected countries. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and share relevant guidance.
"In specific circumstances, it may be necessary for industry sites, including visitor centres, to limit public access or close for a period of time.
"Most Scotch Whisky distillery visitor centres are located at the heart of the production process, with public tours having access to still houses, bottling halls and other areas vital to the ongoing production of Scotch Whisky.
"As ever, the health and wellbeing of our workforce is paramount."
The closures come as the Speyside Whisky industry fine-tunes plans for its biggest annual showcase – the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival – due to run from April 29 to May 4.
The Scotch Whisky sector is worth £5.5 billion to the UK economy – with Moray Speyside boasting the largest concentration of whisky distilleries in the world. In 2018 visits by tourists to whisky distilleries broke through the 2 million mark.
