Owner in £88m upgrade plan for distilleries
SOME £88 million is to be poured into whisky distilleries in Speyside as their owner bets on the future of Scotch. Chivas Brothers will spend the money on its Aberlour and Miltonduff distilleries, two of its strategic single malt facilities, with the company set to upgrade to sustainable distillation technologies alongside a significant boost in capacity.
Global demand for Scotch has continued to grow, and with exports increasing, the upgrades will see the firm’s total capacity climb by 14 million litres of alcohol every year.
Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and chief executive of Chivas Brothers, said: “Scotch has demonstrated its resilience as a category over the past few challenging years and in the process has opened new avenues for growth. “This expansion will allow us to increase our volume to capitalise on the increased demand and interest in Scotch, but also supports our drive to reduce emissions in line with our sustainability ambitions.
“We’re once again betting big on the future of Scotch so we can bring in new consumers to the category and continue to shape a sustainable future of whisky.” As part of the plans, the Aberlour distillery – which has been producing whisky since 1879 – will see its production capacity double to 7.8 million litres of alcohol a year.
The Miltonduff’s expansion will see a new sustainable distillery built next to the existing facility. The distillery, which will include a bio plant and evaporator, will add ten million litres of alcohol each year to the total production capacity.
Both sites are expected to be operating at full production capacity by mid-2025.