7th July, 2014 by Melita Kiely

William Grant & Sons has donated a “substantial sum” of money to the campaign against Scottish independence, Better Together.

The family owned company, which produces whiskies including Glenfiddich and The Balvenie, is understood to have donated a six-figure sum to the campaign of approximately £100,000.

William Grant is also said to have donated smaller amounts of money to other groups campaigning for a “No” vote when the independence referendum takes place on 18 September.

“We can confirm that the company have made these donations,” a spokesman for William Grant & Sons said. “We support the stance of the SWA over independence and would refer you to their recent statement that the Scotch whisky industry enjoys substantial support from the UK government and its worldwide embassy network and from lack of trade barriers from within the EU.

“The SWA believes that the risk of losing this could severely damage our industry.”

A spokesman for Better Together said: “We are delighted to have received this support. More and more companies, individuals and families are saying no thanks to separation.”

The Scottish government has argued that Scottish independence would be beneficial for the Scotch whisky industry.

It also states the largest problem for the Scotch industry would be an in/out referendum on the UK’s position in the EU.

In May, the CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) warned of “potential risks” to the Scotch industry should the Scottish referendum in September return a “Yes” vote.

Last month, Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo broke his silence on the Scottish referendum on independence, voicing that it is “extremely important” for the Scotch whisky industry to remain part of the European Union.