Beam Suntory has seen its plans to build a £150m ($190m) Scotch whisky maturation site approved.
The Laphroaig whisky owner applied for planning permission to build the 70,000 square metre warehouse last July and saw these plans approved by the local Scottish council on Friday (22 March).
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East Ayrshire councillors, based near Glasgow, gave the green light for Beam Suntory to go ahead with its maturation site, which will have capacity for roughly half a million barrels of Scotch whisky.
The building of the site will create 45 full-time jobs as well as 300 one-off construction jobs, according to the company.
Craig Martin, the general manager of Beam Suntory’s manufacturing operations in the UK and Ireland, said: “East Ayrshire council’s decision to approve our proposals to develop a new maturation site near Kilmarnock is a significant milestone in Beam Suntory’s ambition to invest in the local region and Scotland more generally.
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“Beam Suntory’s long-term commitment to spend £150m on this project means it is not only one of the largest private investments made within the region in recent times, it will also be one of the largest recent single investments in the Scotch whisky industry.”
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By GlobalDataBeam Suntory employs roughly 400 people in Scotland. Its Scotch whisky portfolio includes Laphroaig, Teacher’s, Ardmore and Bowmore.
“The economic and employment opportunities outlined in our plans have been welcomed by the planning committee, as have the steps we’ve taken to ensure the site will be sustainable and meets both Beam Suntory’s and the Scottish government’s ambitions on climate and biodiversity,” Martin added.
The spirits group recently announced plans to establish its own commercial business in the UK after the end of its long-running distribution link with Edrington.
The tie-up between the companies, which has taken various forms over the last two decades, will come to an end in February next year. Edrington, home to The Famous Grouse whisky, said it plans to focus on its portfolio in the UK following the end of the deal.
