International Beverage has upped its warehouse capacity in Scotland by almost 10% through a recently-completed investment programme.
The Balblair and Ole Pulteney scotch whisky brand owner, which is itself owned by ThaiBev, has spent GBP7m (US$9.3m) on the construction of six additional warehouses at its site in Airdrie, between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The plant’s maturation footprint has subsequently grown by around 60,000 casks to about 700,000 in total.
Covering 900 m2 each, the warehouses also feature a surface water drainage system and will be used for whisky from International Beverage’s five Scottish distilleries, which also include Balmenach, Knockdu and Speyburn.
‘The completion of this new warehousing is another major step forward for our business following a busy period of acquisitions and new additions to our spirits portfolio,” said MD Malcolm Leask. “We now have some of the industry’s most modern … bottling and storage facilities at our Scottish headquarters, allowing us to manage stocks of our premium scotch whiskies with greater efficiency and scale.
“Whilst current trading conditions in our industry are challenging, whisky is a resilient sector and I’m very proud to be building for the future – and to see the ongoing evolution of our Airdrie site as a thriving hub at the heart of our global business.’
In September 2023, International Beverage entered the cognac category, acquiring the Larsen brand from Anora Group for just under $60m.
