Edrington's The Macallan whisky brand is to get a new £100 million distillery and visitor centre in Speyside, after Moray Council granted planning permission.
An artist's impression of the new The Macallan Distillery
Building works will start on the new facility in October, which should open its doors in Spring 2017.
The Macallan, one of Edrington's core brands, has appointed Robertson as its preferred contractor and Forsyths of Rothes as supplier of the distillation equipment.
Graham Hutcheon, Edrington's group operations director, said: "We are delighted with the decision taken today by The Moray Council planning committee. This permission enables us to forge ahead with our work on site. Following a competitive tender process we have selected Robertson as our preferred contractor to deliver our new distillery and visitor centre. We have assembled a first class team, including internationally renowned architects Rogers, Stirk, Harbour and Partners, and are confident that Robertson will complement the existing team and our aspirations for this project.
"Only the external appearance of the distillery will change, the exceptional quality of The Macallan, which has been produced for many years using copper stills from Forsyths, will not be compromised and the same focus on attention to detail and personal care of the whisky's production will be upheld. The new distillery will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about distilleries, not only in Speyside but globally, and we look forward to starting on site soon."
The new distillery will also add extra capacity as the need arises, to meet existing demand and growth in new international markets.
Edrington owns a range of the major Scotch whisky and rum brands, including Brugal, The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and Highland Park. In addition to its core brands, Edrington acquired Snow Leopard vodka in 2013.
Edrington directly controls its route to market in 16 countries, and operates the remainder through joint venture and third party agreements. The group is headquartered in Scotland and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide, with over 60% employed overseas.
Edrington is owned by a charitable trust, The Robertson Trust, which donated £15.3 million to a variety of charitable causes last year.