£7m Investment For Glendronach Distillery

[John]

The BenRiach Distillery Company who bought the Glendronach Distillery just over a year ago from Chivas Brothers for around £30million is to pour £7million into restoring GlenDronach to its past glory.

BenRiach managing director Billy Walker said yesterday he wanted to re-establish GlenDronach to its status of 40 years ago, when it was among the five most popular malts in the world.

When he and South African investors Geoff Bell and Wayne Keiswetter took over GlenDronach there were fewer than 20,000 bottles a year sold globally.

This year, after adding a number of expressions, such as a 15 year old and an 18 year old, GlenDronach will sell about 150,000 bottles.

BenRiach plan to invest £5million in sherry casks over four years and a further £2million on brand promotion and extra staff to boost this sleeping giant. By 2014, the company hopes to be selling some 250,000 bottles annually.

Mr Walker said: "In recent years, GlenDronach has fallen out of view but it has maintained a kind of cult status.

"This new investment returns it to centre stage.

"We're pursuing our dream to sell fine malt whisky all over the world and put GlenDronach back where it belongs."

In another profile boosting move, four GlenDronach casks are to be bottled specially for the Danish market and will go on sale there next month following a recent visit to Forgue by a group of retailers from Denmark.

BenRiach employs 30 people but hopes to create a further five positions in the near future.

John