The company confirmed the suspension will have no impact on staff, who have been redeployed to other sites or roles.

“We have temporarily paused production at Roseisle Maltings as we look to balance capacity against current demand. We continue to assess production volumes and will communicate future plans as part of the normal planning cycle,” said a Diageo spokesperson.

The company said it remains “confident and committed to the long-term growth of the Scotch category, after a period of sustained growth and associated investment”, and is now managing capacity requirements in line with its levels of maturing inventory.