Preparing for Spirit Drink Verification Scheme visits

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.

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:

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.

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.