Diageo lays ground for new distillery

By PETER RANSCOMBE
Published on 04/09/2012 20:12

SCOTLAND’s largest whisky maker will this week begin applying for planning permission to build its next “super-distillery” when it files papers with Highland and Moray councils.

Diageo – which owns brands including Bell’s, J&B and Johnnie Walker – is submitting “proposal of application notices”, which are a prelude to seeking full planning permission.

The proposed sites – at Teaninich, in Ross-shire, and at Glendullan and Inchgower on Speyside – are all near existing Diageo facilities. The firm has said it will decide on the location for the distillery by the spring and may even build a second large plant.

Diageo unveiled its plans in June as part of a £1 billion investment. Last year, the firm opened its £40 million Roseisle distillery near Elgin, the first big plant to be built in decades.