Over the last few decades whisky has prospered. This is especially true of single malt, which has transformed from a virtually unknown category into the Scotch industry’s golden goose. Ironically, certain popular malt whisky brands, now well-known and integral parts of whisky’s fabric, are also a reminder of darker times. Port Ellen and Brora are first and foremost. The likes of St Magdalene, Convalmore, Banff, and Glen Mhor are slightly lesser known, but still highly regarded. Even Benromach and Knockdhu, generally not mentioned because they have since reopened, were part of a momentous historic occasion four decades ago – one that reverberated across the whisky industry.
Trouble had been brewing for several years: the rise of oil prices, a global economic downturn, and a generation turning away from brown spirits. The response from the industry wasn’t swift enough. Production initially continued while sales dwindled, until things came to a grinding halt. It was 17 February 1983, and the headline on the front page of the read: “Scotch on rocks!” The newspaper reported on the latest body blow dealt to an “already crippled” Scotch whisky industry: Distillers Company Ltd (DCL, now Diageo) had decided to axe 530 jobs in Scotland. It had also shut down 11 malt distilleries and one grain distillery, Carsebridge.
