A new £12m Johnnie Walker bottling line at Diageo's Shieldhall plant in Govan, Glasgow, has been opened, marking the completion of a major initiative in Diageo's £100m investment in Scotch.
Johnnie Walker is the biggest selling Scotch whisky worldwide and the new line will produce 300 bottles of the brand per minute, an estimated 4.5 million cases a year. The Shieldhall operation bottles 23 million cases annually - an impressive 25% of Scotch 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% this year, representing a record 15 million cases of Johnnie Walker exported.
The global success of Johnnie Walker contributes significantly to supporting Diageo's 4,000 jobs in Scotland and accounted for £1bn in global sales last year.
Diageo is spending £80m on expanding capacity in malt and grain distilling throughout Scotland, including the first new major malt distillery for more than 30 years.