Morayshire whisky and brewing malting plant to expand thanks to £12m investment

Some £12 million is to be pumped into the expansion of a malting facility in Morayshire to support demand from the whisky distilling and brewing sectors.

Boortmalt’s expansion of its Buckie site on the Moray Firth coast will see production capacity increase by 50 per cent to some 90,000 tonnes per year. The expanded facility is scheduled for commissioning by the end of this year.

Globally, Boortmalt has some three million tonnes of production capacity, across 27 malting plants. The Boortmalt Group is owned by Axereal, Temasek, Unigrains and Tereos.

Yvan Schaepman, chief executive of Boortmalt Group, said: “This significant investment into our malting facilities in Buckie is a signal of our confidence in the future of the market and recent performance of our customer base. The new capacity will allow us to increase production and do so in a more sustainable manner.”

Boortmalt has run its malting facility in Buckie since 1974.

The firm said the investment would “positively impact” its sustainability credentials with increased capacity reducing the distance malt and barley will be transported, helping to lower its carbon footprint.

Charles Tozer, general manager UK and Ireland at Boortmalt, said: “We pride ourselves on working alongside each distiller and brewer to offer them the malt they need for style of beer or whisky. We are excited for what the future holds after significantly expanding our production capacity.”

Boortmalt operates in the UK as Pauls Malt, based in Bury St Edmunds, East Anglia and is one of the oldest malting family businesses in the UK, dating back to the 19th century. It has run its malting facility in Buckie since 1974.

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