Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky arm of Pernod Ricard, recently announced a major investment into the Aberlour and Miltonduff single malt distilleries, with plans to upgrade sustainable distillation technology.
The distillery expansions will in turn grow Chivas Brothers’ total production by 14 million liters of alcohol a year.
A statement from Chivas Brothers notes that this investment confirms the brand’s commitment to sustainable practices in Scotland and is a testament to the growing global demand for Scotch whisky.
The whisky maker has seen market gains in Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, and in its second quarter reports, has seen net sales increase 23% (beyond pre-Covid levels).
The distillery expansions will help Chivas Brothers’ goal of reaching carbon neutral distillation by 2026 with the installation of new bio plants and high-efficiency Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) fan technology for pot still distillation across both sites.
This technology enables major energy recovery by compressing the vapor which then rises in temperature and is sent back to heat the stills during the distillation process. A pilot study at its Glentauchers distillery resulted in energy reductions of 90% on a single pot still.
Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said, “Scotch has demonstrated its resilience as a category over the past few challenging years and in the process has opened new avenues for growth. This expansion will allow us to increase our volume to capitalize on the increased demand and interest in Scotch, but also supports our drive to reduce emissions in line with our sustainability ambitions. We’re once again betting big on the future of Scotch so we can bring in new consumers to the category and continue to shape a sustainable future of whisky.”
The Aberlour distillery, making whisky since 1879, will see its production capacity double to 7.8 million liters of alcohol a year. The distillery will see a significant facelift with an upgraded visitor center, which in turn will draw more whisky fans to the area and boost local tourism.
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A new still house will be equipped with large windows providing visitors with views into the nearby woods and the River Spey, the water source for the spirit.
Miltonduff’s expansion will consist of a brand new state-of-the-art sustainable distillery built next to the existing facility. The distillery, which will include a bio plant and evaporator, will add 10 million liters of alcohol a year to the total production capacity.
Miltonduff single malt is one of the foundations of Ballantine’s blends and is a key component of other blended whiskies in the Chivas Brothers portfolio.
Both sites are expected to be operating at full production capacity by mid-2025.
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