Scotch whisky makers staring down the barrel

Scotland's oldest whisky maker, the Glenturret Distillery has survived world wars, Prohibition and The Great Depression but this may very well be the toughest time for it.

Located on the banks of the River Turret two miles northwest of the town of Crieff, it was established in 1763.
A 25 percent tariff on Scotch imposed by the United States in October 2019 and now a slow-down in exports to Europe after the end of the Brexit transition are hitting profits the hardest.
"It has been a really tough period for us with coronavirus, US tariffs and Brexit as well," the distillery's managing director, John Laurie, told AFP.
"Covid 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 troubles faced by The Glenturret are shared across the whisky industry.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) in February, global exports of Scotch fell by more than £1.1 billion (US$1.5 billion, 1.3 billion euros) to £3.8 billion in 2020.
Exports to the EU fell by more than 15 percent to £1.25 billion in 2020, it added.
The impact on sales after the post-Brexit transition are yet to be measured but are also expected to take a heavy knock.