Diageo Malt Whisky Distillery, Roseisle, Speyside, Scotland, United Kingdom

For the first time in 30 years Scotland is to see the building of a new major malt whisky distillery. Diageo, one of the largest spirits producers in the world, is to build a new distillery in Scotland as it expands its whisky operation because of a surge in demand from emerging markets.

The new facility requires an investment of £40m and will be built at Roseisle in Speyside near the Moray Firth, where it already has a large maltings facility. This area has a tradition of fine malt whisky production.

The company is also expanding its grain distillery at Cameronbridge in Fife with a further £40m investment and will spend £20m expanding bottling and warehousing, much of it at its Shieldhall facility in Glasgow. The new Roseisle distillery will create 200 jobs in the region. The total investment of £100m will be the company's biggest in Scotland in 20 years.

Subject to receiving the necessary planning permission the company hopes to start production in 2009, with the first whisky becoming available in 2012. Diageo's malt whiskies include Cardhu, Singleton, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glen Ord, Glen Elgin, Glenkinchie, Oban, Lagavulin, Knockando, Talisker, Royal Lochnagar, Clynelish, Caol Ila and their blended whiskies include Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bell's, Buchanan's, Benmore, Black & White, Dimple, Haig, Old Parr, Vat 69, White Horse and Windsor Premier.

WHISKY COMEBACK

Whisky has made a big comeback in recent times. During the 1970s and 1980s there was less demand for the product, resulting in overcapacity and the closure of some distilleries. Since then there has been a solid recovery, boosted by the growth of the whisky market in Asia and South America. There is increasing demand from the Brazilian, Russian, Chinese and Mexican markets.

Diageo now sells seven out of ten bottles of premium Scotch in South America and its sales across the board increased by 20% in 2006. In the global whisky market Diageo's Scotch brands, especially Johnnie Walker, remain the main drivers of growth outside the UK. Sales of Johnnie Walker rose 18% and Buchanan's was up 40% in 2006.

NEW DISTILLERY PRODUCTION

The whisky produced at the new distillery will go into premium and luxury versions across all brands, including its most popular whiskies Johnnie Walker and J&B, along with high-end brands Buchanan's and Windsor. It will increase the company's capacity for Scotch production by 10–12%.

Diageo is already the world's biggest whisky producer with 27 malt distilleries and two grain distilleries. Paul Walsh, the chief executive of Diageo, said: "the investment will expand the company's annual whisky output by 10% or 10 million litres… We see a huge opportunity for whisky going forward, particularly at the high end where we need to build up mature stocks."

CONTRACTORS

Austin-Smith Lord applied to Moray Council for planning permission for the new distillery for Diageo in October 2006. The firm has been working with Austin-Smith Lord and Faber Maunsell to design Scotland's most environmentally friendly distillery. The building, which will be built at Roseisle between Elgin and Forres, will bring together old and new technology and provide a model for whisky production in the future.

The 3,000m² building will contain 14 traditional copper whisky stills and has been conceived as a series of identifiable volumes which reflect the three key processes of whisky spirit manufacture: mashing, fermentation and distilling. Being an industrial process, the architectural challenge was to design a building which reflects the distillery process function while attempting to break down the mass, scale and visual impact of the development to respond to its setting.

The building was designed as a modern interpretation of the traditional still house and is similarly driven by a form which responds to the process requirements and the need to maximise natural ventilation and daylight. Functionally the building requires a 'public face' and presence to the main road as well as providing legibility and operational coherence internally.

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