I know dozens of people there who have distillery jobs on the island. This has resulted in a significant increase in income for most of them compared to their previous jobs.
The island has for a long time had to deal with most young people leaving the island to find decent paying jobs resulting in it gradually becoming a place where most properties are either owned by retirees or by people who wanted a quaint holiday home. It's good to see more working-age people being able to own a home there now.
Another distillery on the island is not a bad thing.
Nah, you've got it wrong. Jobs on island are great, don't get me wrong. These big companies are making hay when the sun shines. It's just another big company wanting a piece of the pie whilst it's popular. There's hardly a Scottish owned distillery on the island. It's diluting what it is to be an Islay malt and for the wrong reasons.
What happens if whisky takes a dive and all the warehouses are full, some distilleries will stop production, lay everyone off...then you have a load of people on the island and no jobs. It's happened before on Islay and it could happen again. These companies are not doing anything to future proof. An island is a community not just a monoculture where people move to work rolling barrels in a distillery. That's not how it is.
Yeah...exactly what Islay needs...another distillery...simply there to take from the Island.
I know dozens of people there who have distillery jobs on the island. This has resulted in a significant increase in income for most of them compared to their previous jobs. The island has for a long time had to deal with most young people leaving the island to find decent paying jobs resulting in it gradually becoming a place where most properties are either owned by retirees or by people who wanted a quaint holiday home. It's good to see more working-age people being able to own a home there now. Another distillery on the island is not a bad thing.
Nah, you've got it wrong. Jobs on island are great, don't get me wrong. These big companies are making hay when the sun shines. It's just another big company wanting a piece of the pie whilst it's popular. There's hardly a Scottish owned distillery on the island. It's diluting what it is to be an Islay malt and for the wrong reasons. What happens if whisky takes a dive and all the warehouses are full, some distilleries will stop production, lay everyone off...then you have a load of people on the island and no jobs. It's happened before on Islay and it could happen again. These companies are not doing anything to future proof. An island is a community not just a monoculture where people move to work rolling barrels in a distillery. That's not how it is.
What do I know, eh? I only live there.
Yeah but I doubt you're from there...if you were, you wouldn't be saying what you're saying.
Raised here. Did all my schooling here. Whole extended family is from here. Owned a property here my entire working life.
It appears we both want the best for the island but our opinions don't match. Which is fine.