Work has started on new warehouses and a fill store that are part of a £100million distillery and visitor centre project at Craigellachie in Speyside.
The facilities will allow distillery owner Edrington to house millions more litres of maturing spirit expected to be produced at the site when works are completed next year.
A division of Robertson Group, which is already working on the Macallan distillery project for Edrington, has started on the warehouse project which is also expected to complete alongside the distillery complex in mid-2017. The distillery, which will be capable of producing up to 15million litres of whisky per year compared to the 9.5million-litre output of the existing plant, will officially open in spring 2018.
Graham Hutcheon, Edrington’s managing director of group operations said: “The maturation process plays an important role in the quality of The Macallan. The spirit spends many years in our warehouses as it matures in the highest quality sherry seasoned oak casks.
“The new distillery and the associated warehouses will continue The Macallan’s reputation for uncompromising quality and ensure that we can continue to supply the highest quality single malt Scotch whisky for generations to come.”
Frank Reid, regional managing director of Robertson Northern, said: “These facilities are an essential part of this exciting new distillery and we are proud to be playing such an important role in bringing the project forward.
“The Macallan is one of the most distinctive brands in the world and it is inspiring to be working on a project of this scale and imagination for Edrington. We are just as enthusiastic as the most ardent whisky fan at seeing the end result.”
The Macallan is one of the world’s best-selling single malt whiskies and its distillery, founded in 1824, was one of the first in Scotland to be legally licensed.
It is one of the core brands of Glasgow-based Edrington, whose other products include the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark blended whiskies and Highland Park single malt.
The new facility received planning permission in August 2014, and is designed by international architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP).
Robertson is one of the UK’s largest independently-owned construction, infrastructure and support services companies, employing more than 1,900 people.
