Written evidence submitted by Scotch Whisky Association (CISFL0020)

 

  1. Introduction

    The Scotch Whisky Association[1] (SWA) welcomes the opportunity to comment on this call for evidence.

    Twenty-three Scotch Whisky distilleries are located on ten of Scotland’s islands.  Islay is home to 10 distilleries and a maltings plant.  Three distilleries are located on Orkney’s mainland, and two distilleries are located on both Arran and Skye.  Other island distilleries are located on Benbecula, Harris, Jura, Mull, Raasay and Tiree.  These islands are not just home to world famous distilleries; they are also home to hundreds of workers who themselves are part of the island communities in which they live.

 

There are very few fixed links between Scotland’s islands and the mainland.  With just one exception – the Isle of Skye – all of the islands that are home to distilleries are connected to the mainland by the lifeline ferry services.  In recent years, services within the Clyde and Hebridean network, served by CalMac, have struggled to meet demand and suffer from chronic resilience pressures as the ageing ferry fleet is prone to mechanical breakdown and weather-related disruption.  This puts additional strain on island communities and their economies.  This failing infrastructure is holding back growth and is having a negative impact on competitiveness.
 

Existing fixed links


Seil island was connected to the mainland by the Clachan Bridge in 1792.  The next significant fixed link between an island and the mainland was established in 1995, between the Kyle of Lochalsh and Kyleakin on Skye.  Four of Orkney’s southerly islands are connected to its mainland by causeways (the ‘Churchill Barriers’) and there are a number of causeways connecting some of the Outer Hebrides (e.g. Vatersay and Barra).  Other than these, there are very few fixed links.  To date, much of Scotland’s attention on shortening journey times and distance created by coastal barriers has focussed on the mainland and involved the construction of bridges over firths and other coastal inlets such as the Cromarty Bridge, Dornoch Bridge, Kylesku Bridge and also the Tay, Forth (Queensferry Crossing) and Clyde (Erskine Bridge).  As suggested by the call for evidence’s questions, lessons could be learned by looking elsewhere to island nations who have invested in fixed links to increase resilience and flexibility, reduce journey times, improve network efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
 

  1. Call for evidence questions and responses
     

1

What are the current transport challenges facing Scotland’s island communities, and how do these challenges impact communities? This could include but is not limited to: economic development, population retention and access to services.

  • Which communities, if any, would benefit from fixed-link connectivity in the Scottish Isles, and in what ways would they benefit?
  • What are the downsides to fixed-link infrastructure, if any?
     

 

Scotland’s island communities and economies face many transport challenges.  Like the island communities who live and work on the islands, distilleries rely on the lifeline ferry services. The ferries are an essential part of the industry’s supply chain. They are used to bring the materials necessary to produce Scotch Whisky including cereals, yeast, casks, packaging materials and fuel. They transport spirit and by-products to the mainland. They also bring visitors who contribute to the island economies, as well as workers and materials that are required as the industry continues to invest in new distilleries or maintain or expand existing ones. Despite the critical importance of ferries, like many island users, SWA members have expressed their frustration and concern at the service provided, particularly on the Clyde and Hebrides network.  There are many issues, caused by various factors, but in brief, they fall into two broad themes: resilience and capacity.  The service is not reliable and on routes such as Islay, it struggles to meet the demands placed on it.  The service is holding the industry back which is in-turn holding up growth and development in some of Scotland’s most isolated communities.  Although resilience is expected to gradually improve as new ferries are delivered, investment in port infrastructure has not kept pace with new vessel deployment.  This is evidenced on the Arran route as the newest major vessel to enter service, MV Glen Sannox, cannot berth at Ardrossan as that port cannot accommodate it.  A similar scenario may arise on Islay as the essential redevelopment of Port Ellen is not set to begin until 2026; and until that work is complete, we understand that the new Islay-class vessels will not be able to berth at the port (they will be able to berth at the other port on Islay – Port Askaig).  The first of the new vessels, the MV Isle of Islay, is due to enter service in early 2026.

 

Some islands face additional transport challenges on top of the physical maritime crossing.  Simply getting to the mainland ports serving some islands requires an arduous journey by road.  For example, the mainland port for Islay, Kennacraig, is over 100 miles from the centre of Glasgow and takes around three hours by the A83 Trunk Road.  Part of that route involves the Rest and Be Thankful pass that is prone to frequent closure due to landslides.  A 1.4km long debris flow shelter (avalanche tunnel) is proposed but no date has yet been set for this vital infrastructure improvement; that section of road has been prone to landslides for decades.  This is a significant safety and resilience concern that has needed a solution long before now.  A lengthy diversion is in place for HGVs when the road is closed.  In the case of Islay and Jura, the 2-hour journey by ferry compounds connectivity difficulties.

By their nature, fixed links would deliver benefits to all island economies.  However, we appreciate that the costs of establishing physical links to some islands might be prohibitive due to distance, physical factors (e.g. depth and nature of the seabed) and relative size of island communities and economies.

By their very nature, fixed links change the very concept of what an island is and can fundamentally change the nature and characteristics of islands. The construction of fixed links may create competitive impacts between islands that should be considered. A fixed link removes the physical challenges of access and means that connected islands can, in theory, be reached at any time.  This has obvious advantages, but can also create disadvantages.  It is most appropriate for island communities to comment on this aspect of the call for evidence.

 

2

What is the potential return on public investment in fixed-link infrastructure projects in Scotland’s island communities?

  • What role, if any, could the UK Government play in supporting fixed-link infrastructure, given the devolved nature of transport policy?

 

 

We are not in a position to comment on this question.
 

3

What lessons can be drawn from international case studies, such as the Faroe Islands’ tunnel network?

  • How have fixed-links impacted these communities? This could include but is noted limited to population trends, labour mobility and economic development.

 

 

We are aware of international examples of fixed links, such as the extensive network of tunnels connecting many of the Faroe Islands, Norway’s ‘Atlantic Road’, which connects the island Averøy with the mainland via a series of smaller islands, and bridges which connect islands such as Île d'Oléron and Île de Ré to mainland France on the Atlantic coast.  We cannot comment on the lessons learned from these, and other examples.
 



December 2025

 

[1] https://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/who-we-are/