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Whisky is a passion to explore. From the history of the spirit to the evolution of the industry, the story of whisky helps fuel that passion. Often, it’s easy to forget that whisky is also a global multibillion dollar industry. The stories of whisky — from news and new releases to in-depth inquires and what goes on behind the label — blend together to help us appreciate the spirit of whisky.

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Diageo Invests in Archive Expansion

Diageo plans to invest approximately $2.4 million to expand its company archives at the company’s facilities in Menstrie, Clackmannshire, Scotland.

The archive contains about 500,000 different items, ranging from vintage whisky bottlings to memorabilia and historical artifacts from Diageo’s facilities around the world.  The expansion will include a new reception and library area, along with additional storage space. The archive expansion is needed because of the need to store historical material linked to Diageo’s recent acquisitions, including the Scotch whiskies produced by India’s United Spirits. It’s not been decided whether the archive will house elements from Whyte & Mackay, since the United Spirits-owned unit is likely to be spun off as part of the acquisition and already maintains its own archives in Glasgow.

As we heard from Diageo’s Joanne McCutcher in Episode 325 (July, 2011), the Diageo archive is not generally open to the public, but is available for research by historians on an application-only basis. The archives supply historical material for the visitors centers at many of Diageo’s distilleries.

The project still requires approval from local officials.