I find it quite incredible that Diageo plans to wrap its maturing whisky in plastic to prevent evaporation and so save money. In so doing it is destroying the very essence of Scotch. The wooden casks are permeable; the whisky therein picks up nuances in character not just from the wood but from the very air in the warehouse. That lost Angel's Share allows a particular atmosphere to develop in the warehouse and facilitates a molecular exchange between the air and the spirit. Without this subtle and magical interaction it is doubtful if the whisky would be able to attain its true flavoursome potential.

It was once thought that sending casks of whisky on a voyage around the world in a sailing ship somehow improved the flavour. Perhaps Diageo's directors should be sent on a similar very long journey.

Edward Burns, Glasgow