Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain has plans for large satellite warehouse site on Tarbat peninsula; top Highland economist believes it could signal an investment of up to £10 million
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A DISTILLERY’S plans for a major new satellite warehouse site on the Tarbat peninsula are likely to create almost two dozen jobs and signal up to £10 million in investment, a leading economist believes.
The Glenmorangie Distillery Company has lodged a screening application for plans to erect 20 large warehouses, and associated infrastructure, on the edge of a disused airfield at Loans Of Rarichie. The site sits roughly halfway between Fearn and Balintore.
The screening application signals just the start of the planning process, but if later full applications are given the go-ahead, then the site could massively increase the whisky storage capacity of Glenmorangie Distillery in nearby Tain.
Highland economist Tony Mackay said this large expansion was evidence of the booming whisky market.
He said: The Scotch whisky industry is booming at the present time and the prospects for further growth look good. The latest statistics from the Scotch Whisky Association show a 4.4 per cent rise in export sales to £4.9 billion in 2019, with 1.3 billion bottles exported to 180 markets.
“The 2020 market will be worse because of the coronavirus pandemic of course, but the long-term prospects look very good.
“Much of the 2019 growth was in developing countries, with a 9.8 per cent rise in sales in Asian countries and 11.3 per cent in Africa. I expect that growth to continue.
A spokesman for Glenmorangie Distillery would not be drawn on how many jobs would be created by the satellite site, or how much money it was investing in it.
But given the scale of the project, Mr Mackay believes it will be a multi-million investment. He added: “The new warehouses should create two to three permanent jobs and 15-20 during the construction phase. The expansion will probably cost £8-10 million.
“The company has been a very good employer in Easter Ross and their whisky exports give the area a good international profile.”
The company has promised to carry out full consultation with the community in the months ahead.
A spokesman said: “Earlier this year we purchased a piece of land at Fearn, just south of our distillery in Tain with the aim, subject to planning permission, of creating a cask storage facility.
“It’s important to us that we are able to support Glenmorangie’s growth plans within the local area.
“We are in the early stages of logging a planning application and as part of the process there will be a public consultation at some point in the future.”
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