The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Spirit is great at the Diageo bottling plant
Walk into any pub or restaurant and there are dozens of bottles behind the counter.
Whisky, gin, rum, vodka – take your pick, it’s all there. And a large quantity of it will have passed through Diageo’s enormous packaging plant at Leven.
The Fife facility is the largest packaging plant operated by Diageo, whose iconic brands include Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon’s and Captain Morgan.
I visited recently to find out how it all works.
As I arrive in the car park, the first thing I’m drawn to is the size of the place. The factory stretches as far as the eye can see.
It is a major local employer, with a workforce topping 1,100.
I’m met by third year mechanical engineering apprentice Iona Mcghie and site administrator Lynda Collins.
Before we go in, I’m handed ear plugs, goggles and a high-vis jacket.
I’m also asked to change my footwear, so it’s off with the black dress shoes and on with a pair of safety shoes.
I’ve never been given ear plugs at a factory before and I’m prepared for deafening noise, but it isn’t that bad.
There is a constant whirring that would become a nuisance if you paid attention to it for too long, but I am distracted by another of my senses.
A really distinctive pungent smell flows throughout the factory.
It’s fine if you like rum, but less so if – like me – you aren’t a fan.
I’m told you get used to it, but I definitely could have done with a mask or nose plugs!
The Leven site produces around 40 million cases of premium spirits each year. That is almost a million cases a week.
The spirits are produced at Diageo’s nearby Cameronbridge distillery before coming to Leven.
They are then bottled, labels added and packed into cases before being sent out.
Most of the production at the site is for export around the world.
Its brands also include Smirnoff and single malts including Lagavulin, Talisker and Oban.
The speed at which the bottles are packed into boxes ready to be shipped is astonishing.
As we walk round, I’m able to find out more about how Iona decided upon a career as a mechanical engineer.
Having grown up in Leven, she’s always been interested in a career at Diageo – her dad works at the site as a lorry driver.
She said: “I was always curious as to what went on inside.
“It is great to now play a role in making sure it’s a productive contribution to our local community.”
Iona – who does two days a week at Fife College and three at work – says she’s never been put off being in the minority as a woman working in engineering.
“I just love it. I really like to get hands on and involved in jobs, stripping things down and rebuilding them.
“I’ve always been in the minority (as a) girl, or one of the only, in the workshop, but it doesn’t bother me at all.”
What does a day look like? She says no two are the same.
She shows me the labelling station – which operates at speed, sticking labels to each of the millions of bottles that pass through.
Given the rate at which the bottles go racing along, it is clearly critical any faults are solved quickly.
“We’ve got to be ready to fix problems and get the lines back up and running,” she said.
“It can be a really fast paced environment, which at times can be demanding.”
Iona still has another year to run on her apprenticeship, but is hoping to secure a permanent engineering job at Diageo.
It’s impossible not to notice that hundreds of workers are required at any one time to keep the massive Fife site running.
Everyone is focused on their own role, whether that be packaging the bottles into boxes, labelling or ensuring the lines operate efficiently.
It is an impressive operation.
After the tour, we head for the serenity of a meeting room. No smell, no whirring noise and no need for my goggles.
A busy newsroom can be a hectic place – people frantically working to file stories before deadline, but I would rather be under that pressure than knowing a mistake could grind the whole of Diageo’s bottling plant to a screeching halt.
When I have a gin and tonic this weekend, I’ll certainly be raising a glass to the staff in Leven for their hard work.