
SCOTLAND’S FIRST MINISTER will be in Moray today to perform the official opening of Speyside’s latest distillery – built at a cost of £25million.
Chivas Brothers Ltd are behind the Dalmunach facility on the site of the former Carron Distillery. French owners Pernod Ricard have created the new facility to satisfy a growing demand for their Malt Whisky.
Ahead of the official opening this morning Nicola Sturgeon said: “Scotch Whisky is one of Scotland’s iconic brands and is in huge demand all over the globe due to the exceptional quality the industry produces.
“The Dalmunach Distillery is one of 115 across Scotland and it is a sign of continued investment from Chivas Brothers. It is also fitting that this facility opens in the Year of Food and Drink, as we celebrate and promote the magnificence of our natural larder.
“We want to work with firms to sustain and build on the success the distillery enjoys – this distillery will play its part in that and will also contribute to the continued growth of Scotland’s economy as a whole.”
When in full production the distillery is capable of producing up to 2.2million gallons of malt whisky each year, which would be used in world-famous blended brands such as Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and Ballantine’s.
Chivas chairman and chief executive Laurent Lacassagne said: “Today is a culmination of our ongoing investment to satisfy the growing demand for our brands.
“It is a real pleasure to see this piece of land in Carron which has had a role in whisky-making all the way back to 1867 play a future role in production.”
Chivas say that their new distillery is the most energy-efficient it owns, boasting a 20% improvement over more traditional production facilities. Original features from the former distillery on the site include red brick from the old mill building and wood from the ‘washback’ containers.