Diageo has started work on a new £6.4 million centre of excellence in Scotland that will upgrade the company’s facilities for whisky blending.
The unit is being built on an area of unused land adjacent to the company’s existing technical centre in Clackmannanshire, which will continue to operate as normal while the new facility is built.
Diageo said the centre will offer “world standard” facilities for the company’s scientists. It will also be a hub for innovation, not just in the spirits industry, but in environmental sustainability in manufacturing.
The technical centre is home to teams who work across Diageo’s leading global brands, including Johnnie Walker, Bell’s, J&B, Smirnoff and Ciroc vodka, Tanqueray and Gordon’s gin, and Captain Morgan rum.
Diageo international supply chain director Ewan Andrew said: “Our technical centre in Menstrie is a crucial part of our business globally, delivering excellence in science and innovation.
“This investment will create new state-of-the-art facilities for our talented team of whisky specialists and scientists to enhance the industry-leading work they do on growing and protecting our business around the world.”
Keith Brown, Member of Scottish Parliament for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, said: “This announcement from Diageo of a £6.4 million investment in their site at Menstrie is fantastic news for Clackmannanshire and will be a boost to both the local and Scottish economy. As the MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, I welcome this further evidence of Diageo’s commitment to the local area.”
Luke Graham, Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire, added: “It’s great to see more investment coming to the county. I was lucky enough to visit the Menstrie site earlier this year and see first-hand the jobs and apprenticeships created by Diageo.
“Following HM Government’s freeze on whisky and spirit duty, it is good to see businesses with the confidence to invest in our area. I look forward to continuing to work with Diageo to continue to attract further investment in the future.”
The news follows Diageo’s announcement earlier in the year that it would invest £150 million as part of a programme to promote Scotch whisky to global consumers.
This investment will pay for the construction of a new Johnnie Walker facility in Edinburgh – which will act as the hub for Diageo’s operations in Scotland – and the upgrade of the company’s Scottish distillery network.
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