£6m investment to reintroduce floor maltings and direct fire heating to Glen Garioch whisky Distillery

The firm behind a hugely popular Aberdeenshire whisky distillery has announced plans to invest heavily in return to more traditional production processes.

Global drinks giant Beam Suntory say they intend to invest £6 million in Glen Garioch distillery in Oldmeldrum in a bid to reintroduce floor maltings and direct firing to the wash still as well as reducing the distillery’s carbon footprint.

The renovation, which work began last year, will be completed this year and will see a new cutting-edge technology for direct-fired distillation introduced.

Beam Suntory anticipates the new system will reduce the distillery’s carbon footprint by around 15%.

Distillery Manager Kwanele Mdluli is excited about the plans, he 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.”

The first new make spirit is set to come off the stills later in 2021, Beam Suntory’s Managing Director Francois Bazini added: “Coming from one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, Glen Garioch is a rare find – a complex, hearty Highland malt, produced only in small batches.