CHIVAS Brothers, the Paisley-based whisky business, has officially unveiled a new bottling hall where some of its most prestigious spirits are being packaged.
The whisky and gin division of Pernod Ricard has developed the operation to meet the increasingly complex demands on bottle designs and product presentations from spirits drinkers around the world.
The company, which welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to perform the official opening duties, said the facilities will help it maximise the impact its highest-value products make on the market.
A team of staff from the 700 employed at the Paisley bottling operation have been selected to oversee the bottling and presentation of spirits at the luxury end of the Chivas portfolio. They include special editions of flagship brands Chivas Regal, Ballantine's, Royal Salute, The Glenlivet and Beefeater gin.
Many of the spirits bottled at Prestige Hall will ultimately be sold in the Far East, where aspiring consumers are displaying a thirst for innovative presentations of luxury whiskies and gins.
These include the Royal Salute Diamond Tribute, a 21-year-old whisky released to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation and the creation of the Royal Salute brand. It typically retails in duty free markets at $270 (£170). Chivas Regal James and John, a blend commemorating the distiller's founders, is also bottled at Prestige Hall. Sold exclusively in China, it retails at a 50% premium to Chivas Regal 12-year old, which is typically priced at £25 per bottle.
Chivas declined to disclose how much it has invested in the bottling hall but said it is part of the £40 million investment it is making each year in its whisky and gin operations in Scotland.
It reopened its Glen Keith Distillery in June after expanding its malt distillation capacity by 25%. That followed the £10m expansion of The Glenlivet Distillery in 2010, which boosted its capacity by 75%. Chivas has also secured planning permission to build a further distillery at Carron in Speyside, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015.
Laurent Lacassagne, chairman and chief executive of Chivas Brothers, said: "The Prestige Hall is a prime example of how we have evolved our business to ensure it is clearly aligned for the future.
"The long-term prospects for premium Scotch whisky remain very good and this investment will continue to help us appeal to discerning consumers all over the world with the very highest quality products."
Much of the technology employed at Prestige Hall has been acquired from Krones AG of Germany, though the company has a policy of buying goods such as glass, outer cases, cartons and labels from Scottish manufacturers. It also uses local logistics companies for distribution.
Chivas Brothers' manufacturing director Alister McIntosh said: "We tried to envisage the future of bottling and develop something that would stand the test of time.
"We wanted to move the standard and create the right environment for our high-quality, high-value products. For me it sets a new benchmark."
The Paisley site, which includes four bottling halls, accounts for 40% of Chivas' whisky bottling output, with the majority taking place at Kilmalid, Dumbarton. Some 90% of Chivas Regal is bottled in Paisley.
Mr McIntosh, who entered the industry with The Glenlivet Distillers in 1979 and joined Chivas Brothers in 2004, contrasted the working environment in Prestige Hall with traditional bottling halls.
He noted the new facility's comparatively low noise level and slower bottling speed, which he said reflected the complexity of the bottles being packaged. Mr McIntosh said the working environment at Prestige Hall has been designed to reflect the luxury of the products its staff will be packaging.
He also revealed that Chivas is currently refurbishing its south bottling hall in Paisley, with work scheduled to finish in 18 months to two years' time.
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