Chivas Brothers, a Scotch whiskey and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has re-opened Glen Keith distillery in Keith, Moray on 14 June 2013 to meet increasing worldwide demand for its luxury Scotch whiskies.
Chivas Regal, Ballantine's and Royal Salute are some of the luxury Scotch whiskey brands that will be offered by the distillery.
The Glen Keith re-opening is just one phase in a continued program of investment for Chivas Brothers, which has set aside £40m annual capital expenditure on its operations.
Earlier, the company has increased the malt distillation capacity of Glen Keith distillery by 50% by deploying new malt storage facilities, a new mash-house and tun-room, and six additional washbacks, bringing the total to 15.
Besides this, the company is also set to open a new distillery at Carron on the River Spey in 2014. Planning permission for the project was granted by Moray Council in April 2013.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead said: "This is a positive step which will play an important part in delivery of even greater success for Chivas Brothers and help them to market themselves to the world."
Chivas Brothers chairman and CEO Christian Porta said that the re-opening of Glen Keith distillery and the company's plan to open a new distillery at Carron were in line with the strong demand for its luxury Scotch whiskies.
"With our extensive inventory of more than six million casks, and this new increased distilling capacity, we are well placed to continue to meet this demand, safeguarding the future of our award-winning brands for decades to come," Porta added.
"The sweet, fruity spirit produced at Glen Keith, will be aged in oak casks and used in the Chivas Regal and Royal Salute blends, as it was in the past."
