Beam Suntory
The first new-make spirit will come off the stills later this year. Credit: Social Butterfly / Pixabay.

Spirits producer Beam Suntory has announced an investment of £6m in the Glen Garioch distillery in Oldmeldrum of Scotland, UK.

The investment will be spent on renovating the facility to enable it to focus more on traditional production processes.

Following the renovation, the distillery will feature new technologies for direct-fired distillation.

The planned changes will also cut down the distillery’s carbon footprint.

Work commenced in 2020 and several stages are expected to be finished this year.

The renovated distillery will see the reintroduction of floor maltings and the installation of direct-fired heating to the wash still, which are traditional methods still used by only a few whisky distilleries.

Beam Suntory stated that the return to these traditional processes ‘is a sign of Glen Garioch’s deep respect for its rich heritage, as well as the complexity and quality of its small-batch, hand-crafted Highland single malt.’

Furthermore, the distillery has developed an efficient method for direct-fired distillation, which the firm anticipates will cut down carbon footprint by around 15%.

The first new-make spirit will come off the stills later this year.

Glen Garioch distillery manager Kwanele Mdluli said: “We are proud to make this investment in Glen Garioch’s historic distillery and we’re excited about the future. Although these traditional distilling and malting methods are rare in today’s industry, our teams have deep expertise and passion for these methods and we’re all looking forward to bringing them back to our distillery. We are honoured to be a part of Glen Garioch’s long tradition of innovation and quality craftsmanship.”

Beam Suntory Scotch, Gin and Irish managing director Francois Bazini said: “Coming from one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, Glen Garioch is a rare find, a complex, hearty Highland malt, produced only in small batches. Our whisky has always been made with extraordinary care and by reinvigorating its distillery and tapping into the brand’s rich history, we’ll be able to build on the quality and complexity that Glen Garioch is already known for. Although we’re looking to the past for inspiration, we’re opening the next chapter in Glen Garioch’s future.”

Beam Suntory employs over 360 people in Scotland. It produces Scotch whiskies, including Glen Garioch, Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Laphroaig, Bowmore and Teacher’s.