Diageo to build £50m ‘super-distillery’

SCOTLAND’S largest whisky producer has unveiled plans to build a £50 million “super-distillery” at Teaninich near Alness in Easter Ross.

Diageo – which owns brands including Bell’s, J&B and Johnnie Walker – will create 20 jobs at the site, if it is granted planning permission by Highland Council.

The new site, which will have 16 copper stills and could produce about 13 million litres of spirit each year, will sit next to the company’s existing Teaninich distillery, which will receive a £12m upgrade.

Diageo – which also makes Baileys liqueur, Guinness stout and Smirnoff vodka – is pumping an additional £30m into its operations on Speyside through the “substantial” expansion of its Mortlach distillery at Dufftown and the installation of a bio-gas plant at its Glendullan distillery.

Teaninich beat off competition from sites at Glendullan and Inchgower in Speyside to be selected for the “super-distillery”.

Brian Higgs, Diageo malt distilling director, said: “All three sites we considered for the new malt distillery were excellent potential locations but, after detailed investigations, Teaninich came out just ahead in terms of the many complex logistics required when planning such a development.

“It is a significant investment for the local economy around Alness and we look forward to working positively with Highland Council and the local community as we progress our plans.”

The investments were part of the £1 billion expansion plan that Diageo unveiled in June.