GLOBAL drinks giant Diageo is investing £6.4 million in a “technical centre of excellence” in Clackmannanshire as it ramps up its commitment to its business in Scotland.

The new facility in Menstrie will provide the company with “world-standard” facilities for its scientists working in whisky blending and science and technology, and builds on Diageo’s extensive footprint in Clackmannanshire, which includes the company’s largest warehousing site at Blackgrange, its cooperage at Cambus, its Abercrombie coppersmith business in Alloa and global brand archive, also based in Menstrie.

Ewan Andrew, director of Diageo’s International Supply Centre, said that the firm’s technical centre in Menstrie formed a “crucial part of our business globally, delivering excellence in science and innovation”. He said: “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.”

Home to teams who work across Diageo’s leading global brands, including Johnnie Walker, Bell’s, Smirnoff, Tanqueray, Gordon’s Gin and Captain Morgan Rum, the facility is being built on an area of unused land adjacent to the company’s existing technical centre, which will continue to operate as normal while the new one under construction.

It will also act a hub for innovations in packaging for its spirits brands as well as improving the environmental sustainability of its distilleries, including developing renewable energy – Diageo has invested over £100m in renewable energy plants at its distilleries – and improving water efficiency at the sites.

Diageo said that the new centre’s cutting-edge facilities would also help attract people who want to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) which “are crucial to Diageo’s business”.

Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, said the investment in Menstrie would boost both the local and Scottish economy. The MP for Ochil and South Perthshire, Luke Graham, said: “Following the Government’s freeze on whisky and spirit duty, it is good to see businesses with the confidence to invest in our area.”

Diageo underlined the strong growth potential for its brands in China as it reported a four per cent hike in net sales to £6.5 billion in the six months ended December 31. It announces it for the full year later this month.

In April, the company’s chief executive, Ivan Menezes, said the drinks giant’s plans to invest hundreds of millions of pounds in its Scotch whisky operations in the coming years underlined the scale of the opportunity to grow sales globally. Mr Menezes noted that whisky had become the drink of choice for a new class of aspirational consumers that has emerged amid rapid economic growth in areas such as Asia. Diageo said it has invested over £1 billion pounds over the past six years in building its Scotch infrastructure to grow exports around the world.

Earlier this year, London-based Diageo unveiled plans to “transform” its Scotch whisky visitor experiences in a £150m investment over three years. The centrepiece will be a new Johnnie Walker “immersive visitor experience” based in Edinburgh, bringing to life the story of the whisky. It will also upgrade its existing network of 12 distillery visitor centres to create a new generation of Scotch attractions.

Four distilleries – Glenkinchie, Cardhu, Caol Ila and Clynelish – will be linked directly to the Johnnie Walker venue, representing the “four corners of Scotland”. Visitor distilleries including Lagavulin, Talisker, Glen Ord, Oban, Dalwhinnie, Blair Athol, Cragganmore and Royal Lochnagar will also see investment to support the growth of single malt Scotch whisky.

In 2017, the number of tourists visiting Diageo’s distillery visitor centres across Scotland reached a record high of 440,260 – an increase of 15.2% on the previous year and the highest figure reported to date.

Mr Andrew added: “As the country’s lead export, Scotch whisky is one of the biggest magnets for tourism and we’re continuing to grow visitor numbers from around the world. We’re also continually working to ensure those visitors have the best experience at our distilleries.”

VisitScotland’s chief executive Malcolm Roughead described whisk as “one of Scotland’s most valuable commodities”. He said: “Whisky tourism is a vital part of local tourism for many areas in Scotland, attracting visitors, creating jobs and sustaining communities.”

Diageo, which employs 3,500 people in Scotland, has also announced plans to restart production from the Port Ellen distillery on Islay and Brora in Sutherland. It has increased output from a number of distilleries in recent years.