Home  >  Business Daily  >  Resurrecting ‘ghost’ whisky distilleries
Business Daily
Resurrecting ‘ghost’ whisky distilleries
Business Daily
May 7, 2024

In Scotland in the 1980s, a slump in the whisky market brought about the closure of some of the country's most iconic distilleries. These sites become known as 'ghost' distilleries - where spirit production has stopped, but where some stock is still available.

In this programme, Elizabeth Hotson will be discovering why some of these distilleries are now being brought back to life.

She visits the legendary Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay for its much-anticipated re-opening and hears from the master blender there, and she takes a tour of London’s fabled Vintage House.

A whisky writer explains what makes a truly great dram and we learn why investors need to be careful if they’re planning to jump on the whisky bandwagon.

(Picture: A bottle of Port Ellen whisky bottled in 1980. Credit: Elizabeth Hotson/BBC)

Presented and produced by Elizabeth Hotson

More Episodes

Apr 2, 2026
The self-taught coder building a drone empire

We hear from a founder who taught himself how to code as a child, set up several businesses, and now with his drone delivery firm Manna Air Delivery - one of the largest in Europe - is trying to challenge aviation regulations around the world. Serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy talks about how being from a poor background helped him build a leading company, which is now becoming a major global player, and why, even as a busy CEO, he still loves writing computer code into the early hours.

If you'd like to get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Sarah Rogers Producers: Niamh McDermott and Jay Behrouzi Sound mix: Nathaniel Danter

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

(Picture: Bobby Healy next to a drone. Credit: Bobby Healy)


22min 06sec

Apr 1, 2026
Is this social media's 'Big Tobacco moment'?

We look at the fallout from the recent court case which found Meta and Google liable for harming the mental health of one their young users and deliberately making their platforms addictive.

Some have suggested this is “a tobacco moment” for Big Tech – comparable to the time when cigarette companies were forced to acknowledge that their products were harmful.

We ask if social media companies should be brought into line, and if they can be. And if reforms are agreed, what would a responsible social media landscape look like?

To get in touch with the team, our email address is [email protected]

Presenter: Gideon Long Producer: Josh Martin

Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business.

Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story.

Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful.

We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar Pichai, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and the CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins.

(Picture: Left to right, Victims families and supporters Shelby Knox, Amy Neville, Mary Rodee, Laura Marquez-Garrett, Sarah Gardner, and Lennon Torres react to the verdict outside the Los Angeles Superior Court on the 25th of March 2026. Credit: Getty Images)


17min 28sec


Resurrecting ‘ghost’ whisky distilleries

--:--
--:--