More whisky jobs lost

A break from the reviews.

Long gone are the days of the family whisky maker, drying malt with peat, aging in a warehouse at the distillery, and bottling at the same plant. Today, scotch is a multi-billion pound business, and many distilleries are owned by international corporations. With this trend has come the search for corporate efficiency, which all too often translates into job losses. Sadly, I read today of another mass layoff in the whisky industry. Whyte & Mackay, owned by a Indian billionaire, announced cuts of 100 staff members, including some at their flagship Dalmore and Isle of Jura distilleries. This comes on the heels of the massive layoffs by Diageo (owners of Oban, Talisker, Lagavulin, Glen Ord, Caol Ila, Knockando, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie, and Cragganmore distilleries and Johnnie Walker blends, as well as a host of other well-known alcoholic beverages). As drinkers of the “water of life,” we feel a special connection to the fine people who produce Scotland’s finest export and are saddened by these cuts.