CHIVAS Brothers has cleared up any uncertainty over the impact of the Brexit vote on the 600 jobs at their Dumbarton distillery Chivas revealed to the Dumbarton Reporter that the European Union referendum vote "will not affect our employees."

The Scottish Whisky Association (SWA), which Chivas is a member of, recently warned that tariffs are likely to increase on exports to emerging markets like South Korea, South Africa and Colombia as a result of the Brexit vote.

The higher tariffs will not impact jobs in Dumbarton for the foreseeable future, a spokesperson said.

“As a global business in the UK we are naturally taking a close interest in the arrangements for trade after Brexit and hope that negotiations lead to a UK trade policy that is as open and free trading as possible,” a Chivas Brothers Spokesperson said.

“The decision to leave the EU does not change our ambition and we will continue to invest in our products, our employees and production facilities as we always have done. 

“We are confident in the future of our business and will go on working with the Scotch Whisky Association and other relevant authorities to make UK exports – especially whisky and gin – successful in the long term.”

The SWA recently highlighted that £1.2bn of Scottish whisky exported last year went to the EU and 90 per cent of all Scotch produced is sold outside the UK.

Whisky distillers continue to be concerned about whether the UK is looking for European Economic Area status like Norway or a Free Trade Agreement with the EU like Canada or Switzerland.

David Frost, Scotch Whisky Association chief executive, said: "Scotch Whisky is one of the UK's most successful exports.

“We are calling on the UK Government to bring clarity to the transition to Brexit as soon as possible, and to negotiate to ensure that the current open trading environment is not affected. 

“Finding practical ways forward on export practicalities and on free trade agreements should be high on the agenda as negotiations begin in the coming months.

"We plan to play an active role in influencing this whole process to ensure that Scotch remains a product enjoyed across the globe."