Copper still maker owner opens Moray base to service 'booming' Scotch whisky sector

Specialist engineering firm Briggs of Burton has opened a new Scottish hub and created a number of jobs thanks to a surge in business within the booming Scotch whisky industry.

The firm said it had experienced “tremendous growth” since completing its first Scottish project, with Loch Lomond Distillery, in 2010. Its new office in Moray, in the heart of whisky country, will lead six new projects in Speyside, while servicing major existing clients including the Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Dalmunach and Mortlach distilleries, as well as managing a “large number” of new enquiries.

Briggs of Burton - which already owns Scottish copper still manufacturer McMillan, based in Prestonpans, East Lothian - has secured premises at Forres Enterprise Park, home to more than 100 acres of landscaped grounds and sustainable buildings. Originating from Burton on Trent, the engineering specialist is designing, expanding and building new distilleries around the world, including in North America, Africa, Australia, Japan and China. The firm recently partnered with Ardgowan Distillery to lead the design, build and engineering of its carbon negative distillery.

Rob Buxton, managing director at Briggs of Burton, said: “Expanding into Morayshire, the ancestral home of the distilling industry, felt like the natural progression for Briggs of Burton, given its longstanding history of work within Scotland. We are working on contracts ranging from £3 million to £30m and the new office will support ongoing growth, create at least ten jobs and reduce our carbon footprint by bringing our expertise closer to clients. This new premises will allow us to further deepen our knowledge of the Scotch whisky industry as well as support jobs and investment.”