Brown-Forman to invest over £30m in GlenDronach
With a history of overseeing Kentucky-based whisky brands and a selection of Scottish distilleries, it was no surprise that they had big plans in store for GlenDronach when they purchased them. The prestigious spirit company Brown-Forman have used their funds to grow huge brands like Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve and Chambord; now with an investment worth over £30m, we can expect the same for the historically rich GlenDronach distillery.
Photo by James Dollin from Pexels
A history of improvements
Before this £30m investment, GlenDronach welcomed a renovated visitor centre, tasting room, whisky bar retail and lounge space. This was part of the first phase of improvements that concluded in 2020.
Improvements are nothing new for the company and Brown-Forman is particularly active when it comes to managing its portfolio. In fact, last year they invested $125m in Woodford Reserve to expand its whisky production in Kentucky.
Now in 2022 Brown-Forman is focusing on their second phase with GlenDronach.
New goals for phase two
This recent investment aims to double GlenDronach’s capacity. With a rising global demand for whisky, the £30m investment will focus on preserving the historic site and craft of whisky production on the former Boynsmill Estate. This will restore the former maltings building back to a working whisky-creation area.
During this three-year phase, Brown-Forman will maintain all existing buildings and courtyards established nearly 200 years ago.
Additionally, they are aiming to “improve operational energy efficiencies”. This doesn’t come as a surprise since we reported on Chivas Brothers earlier this year, investing £88m between two distilleries. With a portion of that money going towards a new sustainable facility for one of the distilleries.
Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect that a percentage of this money could go towards creating a carbon-neutral facility at GlenDronach. At the very least, we can expect them to be heavily reducing their carbon footprint.
What GlenDronach has to say
Earlier this year, the previous Distillery Manager, Alan McConnochie left his role for retirement. We touched upon this when the news broke and stated how the new manager would have high expectations to live up to. So far, she has been managing the potentially difficult situation rather impressively.
Laura Tolmie, the new Distilleries Production Manager, said about the investment, “I’m delighted that this significant investment in the long-term future of the distillery is secured, preserving our rich heritage whilst ensuring we can meet the increasing demand for The GlenDronach at home and around the world.”
With an impressive £30m investment we are sure that GlenDronach will be preserved for many years to come.
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