In September 2010, things were looking up for Scotch. After weathering the impact of the financial crash of 2008-9, the mood was positive enough for Diageo to announce the opening of its first major Scotch distillery in 30 years. Roseisle, with its seven pairs of stills and production capacity of 20m litres of pure alcohol per annum, was a vote of confidence in emerging markets from São Paulo to Shanghai.