The firm has also reported turnover growth of 7.5% to £1,425m for the same period.

These results stand in stark contrast to the current performance in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing major disruption for the business, the spirits industry, and society as a whole.

Performance in 2019 was driven by volume and value growth of the core premium brands, within their respective categories across a number of markets. The company continued to make significant investments behind its brands globally, while also upgrading infrastructure and investing in people in support of the longer-term growth aspirations.

A spokesperson for William Grant & Sons, commented: “The performance during 2019 delivered another year of growth with a continued focus on our premium brands even in the face of increased competition from the major international drinks companies.

“Fortunately, this put the company in a stronger position to weather the significant downturn in business in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted the company’s main markets, including Global Travel Retail. Current estimates for 2020 performance indicate a fall in turnover of around 15% and, despite significant reductions in advertising spends and other costs, a decline in profit after tax of over 30%.”

William Grant and Sons has said that the main priority for the company in 2020 has been protecting all employees and associated stakeholders in the very difficult and challenging environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many initiatives have been taken in this regard to play a part in fighting the virus and alleviating the impact on society. These initiatives include the mass production of hand sanitiser and the building of a PCR COVID-19 testing lab to regularly test employees and protect against the spread of the virus across the company’s UK operations. The lab is now providing testing capacity for NHS Scotland, at cost.

In addition, the company has been giving support to local communities and the hospitality trade throughout the year and has returned all the furlough monies received under the UK Government Job Retention Scheme.