Chivas Brothers to invest £40m in Dumbarton distillery

Pernod Ricard is investing more than £40m in a new plant for its Chivas Brothers whisky and gin business in Dumbarton.

The whisky company will see a new state-of-the-art facility built at its Kilmalid site in Dumbarton, which will include a new purpose-built bottling hall and offices. It is set to open by 2019 and comes after an “extensive review” of the company’s current operations.

As part of the move, the company confirmed it will move all its operations from its existing Paisley site from 2018, in order to create a fully integrated operation, that it says will provide a more “engaging environment for all Chivas Brothers employees”. Chivas staff are expected to quit Paisley, 12 miles from the new plant, by the end of 2019.

Chairman & CEO at Chivas Brothers Laurent Lacassagne said the proposals marked the next step towards achieving its leadership ambition and underlined the company’s long history with Dumbarton

“It is a clear signal that we see a strong future ahead for both the industry and our business. This £40 million investment will enhance and improve our operations and support the development of our global and iconic brands,” he said.

“This is a project of significant size and scale for Chivas Brothers which is why which we are announcing our proposal three years in advance. We want to provide ample opportunity to manage the transition of our business effectively and for our employees to adjust and adapt to working from a new site.”

Chivas Brothers’ portfolio includes Scotch global whisky brands Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, The Glenlivet, and Royal Salute, as well as a raft of single malts,  Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, Strathisla and Tormore, in addition to two leading English gin brands,  Beefeater and Plymouth gin

Last July, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon opened a £25m state-of-the-art distillery at Dalmunach, in Carron for Chivas Brothers distillery, which is capable of producing up to 10 million litres per year.