The repair job to fix the snow-damaged roofs of 38 football pitch-sized whisky bonds could take up to six years, it emerged last night.
Roofs of the Chivas Regal brand’s Keith buildings, where French company Pernod Ricard is maturing 100million gallons of malt whisky, collapsed under the weight of snow earlier this month.
Last night, a source close to the company, who asked not to be named, estimated a six-month repair job for each roof.
He said each bond stored 100,000 casks which would have to be painstakingly lifted out one by one.
He added: “We can’t put people into the sheds for the safety aspect.
“They are going to have to crane people in from the top and they are going to have to be on a platform.
“They cannot go inside with forklifts and take them out six at a time because of the safety aspect of it.
“It is going to amount to millions for the repair job.
“Hiring helicopters and cranes and digging their way in with men and machines. It is going to cost a fortune.”
It is understood casks of high-value whisky destined for the Asian market will reach maturity in three warehouses next week.
The source said: “They have been a priority.
“They were worried that they would get lost, that would be a lot of money down the drain.”
A spokesman for Chivas Regal said last night the damage was still being assessed.
He said: “It will probably be quite a bit of work.”
