Speyside distilleries to taste sustainable future with new investment
An £88 million pound upgrade is coming the way of Aberlour and Miltonduff
North East distilleries are to see £88 million pounds of investment, with Chivas Brothers to pour the money into the Speyside facilities at Aberlour and Miltonduff. Part of this is an upgrade to sustainable distillation technologies alongside a significant boost in capacity.
The investment is as global demand for Scotch continues to grow, with exports increasing, and the upgrades will see the firm's total capacity climb by 14 million litres every year.
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 a year.
It continues to be the best-selling single malt whisky in France and has made significant gains across Asia.
Hopefully further boosting the popularity, there will be a significant refurbishment alongside an upgraded visitor centre.
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 10 million litres each year to the total production capacity.
Both sites are expected to be operating at full production capacity by mid-2025.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, International Trade Secretary, said: "Scotch whisky is a UK exporting success story and this excellent news will see some of the best products made in Scotland, sold to the World - supporting jobs and economic growth and helping us to level up the country.
In its half year results in February, Chivas Brothers announced a net sales increase of 23%, which saw it climb beyond sales set before the coronavirus lockdowns.
The company said the money spent on the facilities will also help it reach its goal of reaching carbon neutral distillation by 2026, with new technology allowing for energy recovery during the process.