There is great interest in the Scottish press over Diageo's plans to close the Johnnie Walker bottling plant at Kilmarnock & Port Dundas Distillery with a loss of 500 jobs. The activities of the global giant are being carefully scrutinised. The Scotsman reports a row brewing in the USA where Diageo will receive US$2.7BN of taxpayers money over 30y in tax breaks & marketing credits to relocate the Captain Morgan rum distillery from Puerto Rico to St Croix in the Virgin Islands. The entire cost of the US$165M build will also be covered but around 70 jobs will be created. Congressmen are said to be outraged with the credit arrangements originally designed to protect the Caribbean rum industry. Diageo said that a Scottish government plan to keep Kilmarnock running with the help of UK tax payers money has been judged as "not viable."
