Chivas Brothers, has today announced a £88 million
investment for its Aberlour and Miltonduff distilleries.
The investment will go into upgrading sustainable
distillation technologies at the Speyside based distilleries, along with
significant production capacity expansions to meet the growing global demand
for their Scotch whiskies.
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| Chivas Brothers invests in sustainable future of Scotch whisky |
The distillery expansions will grow Chivas Brothers total production by 14 million litres of alcohol per annum. The investment is further confirmation from the Scotch whisky arm of Pernod Ricard, on its commitment to Scotland and a testament to the growing global demand for Scotch whisky.
The company has seen exports increase across all regions,
with market gains in Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia. In its Half
Year results in February, Chivas Brothers announced a net sales increase of
+23%, confirming the company’s recovery to beyond pre-Covid levels.
The Aberlour distillery, which has been producing whisky
since 1879 will see its production capacity double to 7.8 million litres of
alcohol per annum. This additional capacity will support the accelerating
global demand for the brand that continues to be the
best-selling single malt whisky in France.
Miltonduff’s expansion will consist of a brand new
state-of-the-art sustainable distillery built next to the existing facility.
The distillery, which will include a bio plant and evaporator, will add 10
million litres of alcohol per annum to the total production capacity.
Miltonduff single malt is one of the foundations of Ballantine’s blends and is
a key component of other blended whiskies in the Chivas Brothers portfolio.
Commenting on the news, Jean-Etienne Gourgues, Chairman and
CEO 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.”
Both sites are expected to be operating at full production
capacity by the middle of 2025.
Posted by Steve Rush