Preparing for Spirit Drink Verification Scheme visits
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-01)

Find out about the verification checks and what to expect during a visit if you've applied for verification and paid your fee for the Scheme.

Once you’ve applied for verification and paid your verification fee under the Spirit Drinks Verification Scheme, we’ll contact you to arrange a verification visit to your production facilities. You’ll only receive a visit if you’re a producer in the UK.

We verify producers every 2 years.

Verification visits

The Spirit Drinks Verification Unit will contact you to arrange a verification visit. They’ll check your production processes are correctly set up so they can verify your products.

The verification checks are different for each drink within the scheme. Find out about the checks in the technical guidance for producing:
- Scotch Whisky (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-scotch-whisky)
- Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream or Irish Poteen (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-irish-whiskey-irish-cream-or-irish-poteen)
- Somerset Cider Brandy (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-somerset-cider-brandy)
- Single Malt Welsh Whisky (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-single-malt-welsh-whisky)
- Dovey Native Botanical Gin (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-dovey-native-botanical-gin)
If you’ve applied for verification of a process outside the UK, you can find out more in the relevant technical guidance for each spirit drink.

For documentary checks, any documents required for inspection as part of your verification visit, for example purchase records of ingredients and casks, should normally be available at the premises when and where the verification visit takes place.

This is unless arrangements have been made for them to be inspected at a different time and place with the person carrying out your verification visit. Your verification officer will discuss this when arranging your verification visit, but it’s also your responsibility to bring this to their attention.

Tax or duty compliance questions

While it may be possible to deal with relatively simple questions, you should not expect your verification officer to deal with questions about tax or duty compliance during your visit. Your verification visit is not linked with HMRC’s ‘revenue management’.

You’re being charged for your verification visit and so it’s important to us, and you, that the different roles are dealt with separately. Your verification officer may, however, take details of your enquiry and refer it to an appropriate person or team, as soon as practical, for a full response.

Contact your customer compliance manager (CCM) to discuss any revenue concerns. If you do not have a CCM, contact us (https://www.gov.uk/contact-hmrc).

Assured production facilities

Your verification officer will record processes as ‘assured’ if they comply with the relevant technical file. A brand or production facility can only be verified where all production processes involved have been assured.

Non-compliant production processes

Processes will be recorded as non-compliant if they:
- failed to secure assurance
- have not been checked and assured
- did not apply for verification, such as not including production processes in the application for verification
If a return or repeat visit is needed to confirm compliance of your production processes with the relevant technical files, we’ll charge you an additional fee of £500 to cover our costs. From 1 July 2025, this additional fee will be £250.

Publication of production details

We’ll publish details of production facilities with assured processes on the spirit drinks look-up service (https://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/sdvlookup/index). You can use this facility to check whether other production facilities in the industry have had their processes assured. This means that you can ensure you’re receiving your product from, and despatching to, premises with assured processes.

Production facilities which have not had their processes assured will not have their details published.