Diageo is set to shut down the visitor centre at its Clynelish distillery in Scotland’s Northern Highlands.
The move, confirmed today (21 January), would see Clynelish removed from Diageo’s visitor experience network, although the group stressed that distilling activity at the site will continue. Clynelish, which began production in its current form in 1969 and sits opposite the Brora distillery, is a single malt in Diageo’s portfolio and one of the ‘Four Corners distilleries of Johnnie Walker’.
In a statement, a Diageo spokesperson said the company has invested in the region of GBP185m (US$247m) in distillery visitor centres across Scotland in recent years, but confirmed that changes are now being considered at other selected sites.
“Following a recent review, we have proposed changes to our visitor centre operations, which regretfully, includes a proposal to close the visitor centre at Clynelish,” the spokesperson said.
“We are currently engaging with and supporting colleagues as part of this process. We can confirm that these proposals are unrelated to distillery operations, where production will continue.”
Twelve months ago, Diageo confirmed the shifting of production of its UK craft gin and vodka business, Chase, just over four years after acquiring the company.
