Chivas Brothers Announce Plans for First Islay Distillery
The critically acclaimed and world-renowned Chivas brothers have announced plans for a brand-new distillery in Islay. This will be their very first distillery in this part of Scotland. Below, we will discuss who the Chivas brothers are and their plans for the new distillery.
The Chivas Brothers: A Short History
The origin of the Chivas Brothers can be traced back to 1801 when a man called John Forrest established a wine and grocery merchant. When he died, he passed this business to William Edward, who was joined by James Chivas in 1836. From this point on, the Chivas Brothers started distilling whisky. Their first whisky was the Chivas Regal – a 25-year-old luxury blend.
Since then, the Chivas Brothers have come a long way. It is now the second-largest scotch whisky brand in Scotland after Diageo, producing some of the world’s best-loved Scottish whisky. This includes The Glenlivet, Ballantine’s, Royal Salute and Chivas Regal.
Other Chivas Brothers Whiskies
The Chivas brothers have created a wide variety of whiskies for whisky drinkers to enjoy or for those looking for a whisky investment. Here are some of the most popular ones:
- The Chivas Regal – is available in over 100 countries worldwide.
- Ballentine’s – this is the number one scotch whisky in Europe and number two in the world.
- The Royal Salute – is a range of remarkable aged and blended scotch whiskies.
- The Glenivet – is the original Speyside single malt whisky
Other popular whiskies made by Chivas Brothers include 100 Pipers, Something Special, and Passport. These whiskies are incredibly popular in international markets.
Where are the Distilleries Located?
The Chivas Brothers have their headquarters in Paisley, near Glasgow. They also have a further 14 distilleries in the Speyside area, apart from one which is located in Strathclyde, Glasgow. On top of this, they have gin distilleries in Plymouth and London, UK, plus several bottling and blending plants around the country.
The Chivas Brothers Opening New Distillery in Islay
Despite the significant number of distilleries owned by the Chivas Brothers, they have decided to expand their operations by opening a brand-new distillery in Islay. This will be the first ever distillery in this part of Scotland.
Plans show that this distillery will be located just a few miles southwest of Bowmore Distillery on Gartbreck Farm, which the Chivas Brothers own. However, there is currently no information on how large this distillery may be, or when it will open, but we do know that it will produce pleated single malt when it finally opens its doors.
Jean-Etienne Gourgues, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said: “This is an important new chapter in the Chivas Brothers story. The introduction of an Islay whisky completes our comprehensive and award-winning Scotch portfolio. As a business built on hundreds of years of heritage, it also gives us the opportunity to do something we rarely do, which is to start from scratch.
“Here on Islay, we can create a blueprint for carbon-neutral distilling and continue to usher in this era of sustainable Scotch. We are committed to Scotch, to the Islay community and the landscape that makes it the perfect place to continue our vision to shape the future of whisky.”
What We Know About Gartbreck Farm
The Chivas Brothers aren’t the only distillers who have considered building a distillery on Gartbreck Farm. In 2015, French Distiller Jean Donnay was granted permission to build a distillery on this site, but he did not have the capital to do so. He turned to Hunter Laing – an independent whisky bottler – for help, but the deal collapsed due to a series of disagreements.
Although the Islay distillery is still a long way off from being built, we can’t wait for it to start producing top-class scotch whisky. Who knows, they may even introduce a brand-new whisky to their collection.
