Chivas invests

The dust hasn't yet settled well after the largest investment in the history of the Scottish distilling industry, the construction of the new Macallan distillery, and already competitors are revealing their investment plans.

Chivas Brothers, a company within the Pernod Ricard conglomerate, has just revealed plans to expand and modernize two of its distilleries operating in the Speyside region. The planned £88 million is to be used primarily for the construction of the new Miltonduff distillery, and the modernization and expansion of Aberlour.

Modernization is primarily aimed at introducing sustainable whisky production technologies at both distilleries. The investment is expected to accelerate Chivas Brothers' achievement of carbon neutrality. Bioelectric plants and high-efficiency ventilation equipment are to be installed at both distilleries. There is even talk of energy savings of up to 90% for alembic distillation, as shown in a study conducted last year at the Glentauchers distillery.

As part of the said investment, in addition to the environmental benefits, the Aberlour distillery will double its production capacity to 7.8 million liters of pure alcohol per year. In addition, the tourist section of the distillery will also be upgraded.

In the case of Miltonduff, where the vast majority of the planned amount will be invested, it is expected that a new distillery will be erected right next to the current one. The new, thoroughly modern plant will raise Miltonduff's capacity by 10 million liters of pure alcohol per year, or about. 15.5 million. That would put the distillery at the top of the ranking of the largest Scotch malt whisky producers. Provided, of course, that no one from the competition has similar plans in store.

Work at both distilleries is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

As you can see from the above, major corporations operating in the Scottish distilling industry are looking to the future of the industry with unwavering optimism. And this is both in the sphere of whisky production and sales, as well as in the development of whisky-related tourism. It is worth recalling that in 2017 a new Macallan whisky distillery was launched, which cost £140 million to build. Diageo has invested £185 million to launch Johnnie Walker Princes Street and expand the tourism section of Cardhu, Clynelish, Glenkinchie and Caol Ila. Not to mention the dozens of new distilleries scattered literally all over Scotland, the vast majority of which already take into account both production and tourism functions at the planning stage. Suffice it to mention more than a dozen new distilleries in the Lowlands region alone, mostly located near Scotland's major tourist centers - in Fife, Stirling, Falkirk, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The future of Scotland's distilling industry is painted in bright colors.


[29.04.2022 / photo: Chivas Brothers]