“Covid still affected the visitor centres as they experienced long periods of closure. When they were open, the number of visitors they could accept was lower than before. The loss of contribution from the visitor centres was mitigated by a VisitScotland grant and a business interruption insurance claim. Production operations at the distilleries were able to proceed as normal.”
The company highlights in the accounts its progress in building a presence for its Edinburgh Gin brand in the city, on East Market Street next to Waverley Station. It said it hoped to achieve permission to clear the adjacent street to accommodate the site works this month. The company also revealed plans to resume the construction of a new head office building, replacing Russell House. “All these projects will be funded from a combination of profitability and the significant headroom available on the [£100m] asset-based lending facility,” Ian Macleod said.