Bacardi completes improvement work at whisky distilleries in Macduff and near Keith
Whisky distilleries have benefited from investment provided by their international owners Bacardi.
As the trend for premium single malt and blended scotch whisky continues to gain momentum, the company is investing in the future of the spirit with the completion of several improvement projects at its production sites across Scotland.
Work has taken place at Macduff Distillery, the home of The Deveron single malt.
Bacardi completed significant site improvements to overhaul the mashing equipment, create a new air-conditioned control room, and drive energy and water savings by implementing high gravity mashing.
At Aultmore Distillery near Keith, a multi-million-pound expansion project was completed last month to improve efficiency and safety and install new technology to help reduce energy and water consumption on site.
Most significantly, the distillery now uses Thermal Vapor Recompression (TVR) technology which captures, compresses and reuses vapor in the distillation process to improve energy and water efficiency.
A new boiler has also been installed to have the capacity to switch to hydrogen fuel in the future – a move that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the distillery.
The improvement project which has taken almost two years of careful planning and design, includes a new tun room, still house, boiler house and closed loop cooling tower.
Founded by local businessman and philanthropist, Alexander Edward, Aultmore Distillery has been producing whisky since 1897.
The single malt whisky is an award-winning brand that is now sold around the world.
Aultmore Oloroso Sherry Cask 25-Year-Old, Travel Retail Exclusive was awarded Whisky of the Year at the International Whisky Competition 2024.
Meanwhile, the company added three new state-of-the-art aging warehouses at its 200-acre blending and maturation centre, Poniel in south-east Glasgow.
The warehouses utilise a more efficient design which increases capacity by more than 15 per cent and, in turn, additional jobs have also been created at the site.
Keith Hogg, VP of supply chain in Europe at Bacardi, said: “Our investment in Aultmore and Macduff distilleries and our Poniel blending and maturation centre is an important step in the bold plans we have for our premium and ultra-premium whiskies.
“We are so proud of the exceptional quality of our award-winning scotch whiskies and are investing in its growth for the long-term.”
The Bacardi portfolio of single malt whiskies includes Aultmore, Aberfeldy, Royal Brackla, The Deveron and Craigellachie.
The Dewar’s brand is also part of it and is the world’s most awarded blended scotch.
A family-owned spirits company with more than 162 years of history, Bacardi has operated five distilleries across Scotland – Aultmore, Aberfeldy, Royal Brackla, Craigellachie, and Macduff – for more than 25 years, nurturing and respecting the heritage of each, to produce drinks which are rooted in the traditions of the local areas.
