If you’ve been somewhat overwhelmed by all the new whisky distilleries to appear in recent years, you’re not alone! The Scottish whisky distillery construction business is in a true boom cycle at present, with the building pursuit effectively splitting itself into four vastly different endeavours.
The first is the raft of new, relatively small distilleries being built. Of course, this got its start a little over 10 years ago or so with the likes of Daftmill and Abhainn Dearg, but has exploded more recently with the likes of Kingsbarns, Ballindalloch, Ardnamurchan, Wolfburn, Glasgow…and well, the list goes on, right down to the tiny operations of, say, Strathearn and Dornoch. If you haven’t kept up, it’s almost alarming to discover that over 30 new distilleries have recently started up or are currently under construction from the Lowlands to the Islands and everywhere in between.
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The second is the extensive expansions or re-builds taking place. Whilst the list of distilleries involved is greater than just three, focus and attention has been directed chiefly at the likes of Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and Macallan. It was only eight years ago that these three distilleries boasted the industry’s highest production capacities of 10.5M, 10M, and 8.75M litres respectively. Today, those figures are 21M, 13.7M, and 15M litres respectively. Whilst Glenlivet and Glenfiddich have merely “tacked on” new production houses and expanded laterally, Macallan’s new distillery is another world again. Further south, Aisla Bay, already an impressive bespoke distillery built within William Grant’s Girvan complex with a capacity of 6M litres in 2007, was also recently expanded to a capacity of 12M.
The third – and perhaps most attention-grabbing of the lot – is the restoration and renewal of distilleries previously termed “lost”, “dead”, or “silent”. The two stand-out examples here are Port Ellen and Brora. Cynics may point to the vast appeal and value these two whiskies enjoy in Diageo’s Special Releases range and claim Diageo are cashing in or capitalising on the legacy and fame of both distilleries. However, the reality is that the industry is growing; Diageo needs more capacity; and their requirements for peated whisky (both within for their own brands, and outside for trading) cannot entirely be borne by Caol Ila and Lagavulin. (Of course, it’s worth noting that this all comes on the back of Diageo already having spent many millions of pounds upgrading and expanding production at several of their workhorse distilleries, such as Teaninich, Mannochmore, and Linkwood). And, still in the category of restoration and renewal, Rosebank looks set to get a new lease of life. And, for the umpteenth time in the last 15 years, we are again hearing about plans to revive Dallas Dhu.
The fourth category involves the construction of the all-new, all-in-one “super” distillery, purpose built with an annual production capacity of over 10 million and the capability of making several different styles or compaigns under its roof. Diageo’s Roseisle (see title photo at top) led the way here in 2009, both in terms of its state-of-the-art kit and facilities, and also its nod towards energy efficiency and the environment. But it wasn’t long before Pernod Ricard followed suit: Dalmunach is their new jewel in the crown, entering production at the end of 2014. I’ve had the privilege of extensively touring both facilities (including a run through of the full kit with Roseisle’s mechanical engineer), and both distilleries display a stark contrast to the centuries-old distilleries that started as farms or small concerns but have been tacked onto and bastardised as the inevitable refurbishments and expansions consumed them.
(Incidentally, both Roseisle and Dalmunach appear in Whisky & Wisdom’s feature article, “The most beautiful distilleries in Scotland“)
So what does all this new construction mean? An historical, if not pessimistic review of the industry suggests the boom will be followed by the inevitable bust. But is the industry more robust now to deal with a decline in global demand? Have the distillers and big brands learned from the past and put better contingencies in place? Or will we again see the development of another “whisky loch”? Which – if the last one is anything to go buy – could certainly benefit consumers wanting aged, affordable whisky. In fact, if anything, it was the whisky loch from the 1980’s that laid the foundation for the growth that commenced in the late 1990’s and fuelled the boom we’re now in.
But looking at the new super distilleries, they offer a fresh take on distilling to the traditional form we’re all familiar with, and they’re worth exploring in detail. Whisky & Wisdom’s next article is an in-depth feature on Dalmunach Distillery. You can read that here. And if you want to stay up to date with the whisky boom and all the new whisky distilleries, we highly recommend you grab a copy of The Malt Whisky Yearbook, which is refreshed and updated each year. You can read our thoughts on that publication here.
Cheers,
AD
Nice article. been enjoying your blog. Good insights, thanks!