UK: Bruichladdich aims for "green" Islay distillery

UK Scotch whisky distiller Bruichladdich is to spend at least GBP2.5m (US$4.8m) on building on the site of a defunct distillery on Islay.

The privately-owned distiller said today (5 March) that it would build a facility in the village of Port Charlotte.

CEO Mark Reynier said the move comes as Bruichladdich, itself formed in 2001, plans ahead to increase capacity to meet growing demand.

"This gives us another set of stills to play with and produce a different tune. The increased capacity means we're able to separate out our two different products, our peated and unpeated whiskies," Reynier told just-drinks. "Being a private and independent distillery, we need and cherish variety."

The Bruichladdich portfolio, which as a whole sells around 30,000 cases a year, includes a range of namesake single malts, as well as a select number of vintage malts.

Reynier said the distiller would look to make the Port Charlotte site as environmentally friendly as possible, an ambition that could increase the cost of the investment.

He said: "We have the chance to create an entirely 'green' distillery, with a genuinely zero carbon footprint by using all the latest environmentally sustainable concepts."

"The environmental movement is strong on the theory, but weak in the practice. It will be quite an engineering challenge to see what really is possible."