Diageo to invest £1bn in Scotch whisky production in next five years

Guinness maker Diageo Plc is to invest more than £1bn (€1.24bn) in Scotch whisky production over the next five years, creating hundreds of jobs, to meet growing demand from the emerging markets of Asia, Latin America and Africa.

The maker of Johnnie Walker, J&B and Bells whisky and Bushmills whiskey said it plans to build a new malt distillery, expand a number of its other distilleries and develop plans for a second new distillery if global demand is sustained at expected levels.

The group, the largest producer of scotch whisky with around a third of the market, is seeing strong growth in markets from Boston to Beijing.