THE closure of the Johnnie Walker bottling plant at Kilmarnock at the end of this month will see 86 employees forced into compulsory redundancy out of what was a 707-strong workforce.

Diageo, the world's largest spirits company, provoked howls of outrage from politicians and trade unions when it announced in 2009 that it was closing the facility, severing a 190-year association with the town. Since then, 198 of those employed at the plant have been given new roles within Diageo. Another 423 have taken redundancy packages offered by the company.

Pauline Rooney, Diageo's Kilmarnock site director, said: "The Hill Street site in Kilmarnock will cease production as planned by the end of March, followed by a final period of decommissioning and site clearance until summer 2013.

"Diageo's focus throughout the closure programme has been to try to minimise the impact on our people and, where possible, to find new jobs for those who wished to remain with the business.

"Almost a third of the people working at Kilmarnock when the closure was announced in 2009 have been successfully transferred to new roles in Diageo."

It rejected proposals for a new bottling plant on a greenfield site in the town, saying it was too expensive.

The closure of the Port Dundas grain distillery, where 200 people were employed, was announced at the same time. It closed shortly afterwards.

At the time of the closure, Diageo announced a £100 million investment programme, of which £86m is being spent on a new bottling hall at Leven, Fife.

This will be operating fully by the summer and is expected to create 400 jobs.

It has also spent £10m on a new cooperage in Cumbas, near Alloa and £3m upgrading its Shieldhall bottling plant in Glasgow.

Diageo plans to donate some of the land at the Hill Street plant for a new Kilmarnock College campus. Ms Rooney said: "We hope this will create a positive and lasting legacy for the town at the site of the former packaging plant.

"The decision to close Kilmarnock was not taken lightly by Diageo, but it was the right decision for the long-term future sustainability of the business in Scotland."

Diageo says it has invested millions in Scotland over the past few years, including £40m for the Roseisle distillery in Speyside and a total of £105m to expand production at the Cameronbridge grain distillery in Fife and build a bioenergy facility.

In 2011 Diageo invested £3.5m to expand production at Caol Ila distillery on Islay, and £3.2m at its Glen Ord distillery near Inverness.

It announced a further £20m capital investment to expand Diageo's Speyside distilleries.

The company has also mooted building another malt distillery in Scotland in the next couple of years.

Diageo continues to employ around 4000 people in Scotland.