REFINED VICES

Firms struggling to keep up with demand

Published: 09/01/2009

WHISKY companies are running low on vintage malts after seeing supplies decimated by a boom in demand from the Far East.

Whisky bosses claim that supplies of malts aged more than 12 years are running low because of a huge surge in exports to countries such as China and India over the past year – forcing distilleries to resort to marketing six-year-old malts to plug the gaps.

Despite other sectors being hit by the global financial crisis, distilleries are being forced to splash out millions to expand their production capacity to keep up with demand.

Industry chiefs have now admitted there are “supply issues" for vintage malts due to comparatively low output during the 1990s, leaving Scotland low on whiskies aged 12 years or over.