£150k whisky theft still "really hard to take" for Speyside distillery 12 months on
The Glenfarclas Distillery Manager is speaking to us as police issue a fresh appeal for information.
A Speyside distillery manager is detailing the "frustrating" feeling of still not knowing who stole £150,000 worth of whisky from his premises.
More than a year has passed since there was a break in at the Glenfarclas Distillery near Ballindallach.
20 bottles of the spirit was stolen on May 15th 2022 and officers are still trying to trace who was responsible.
A fresh appeal for information has been issued in the hope of finding out what happened.
"I would suggest they knew exactly what they were doing" - Callum Fraser
Glenfarclas was broken into during the early hours of May 15th last year.
Distillery Manager Callum Fraser feels anyone who took the whisky knew how much it was worth.
He said: "I would suggest they knew exactly what they were doing.
"From the way they've came in the back road to break into the place, the way they broke in, the length of time they were in the place and the three shelves they emptied.
"They had obviously been here once or twice and saw exactly what it was they were going to take.
"It's really hard to take.
"It's still quite frustrating to think that somebody thinks they've got the right to walk in your place and just steal, that's the most upsetting thing about it all.
"All the staff are a lot more wary of people when they come in.
"It makes you have less trust in people when you see them wondering about the site."
Visitor centre's first ever break in
Mr Fraser also praised how police have worked with them in the year following the theft.
He added: "They've given us a lot of advice on how to beef up our security, which has been done as well.
"Although we did have CCTV and alarm systems in before, it has all been massively upgraded.
"They've been very helpful in getting that over the line.
"It's the first time in the 49-year-history of our visitor centre that we've had anyone break in or steal.
"It was bit of a shock to everybody, including the Grant family who own the distillery.
"Because we're family owned, when someone breaks in it feels like someone has broken into your own house."
Detective Constable Lucy Cuthbert from Elgin said: “Enquiries into the theft from the Glenfarclas Distillery are still very much ongoing and I would like to thank everyone who has come forward with information so far.
“We would encourage anyone with any further information about the break-in to get in touch. No matter how small it may seem, it may be the crucial piece of information we need in order to catch those responsible.
“We would also urge anyone who has been offered a bottle of the stolen Glenfarclas branded whisky to contact us. It is a criminal offence to buy stolen goods.”
Anyone with any information should contact police on 101, quoting incident 1328 of Sunday, 15 May, 2022.