A state-of-the-art maltings and barley storage facility is set to be built in Speyside following planning approval by Moray Council.
The facility on the outskirts of Rothes will be built by UK-based maltster Simpsons Malt. It will be the company's third UK malting site, alongside facilities in Tivetshall St Margaret in Norfolk – where the company is headquartered – and Berwick-Upon-Tweed in Northumberland.
Once operational, the new maltings will have an annual production capacity of 85,000 tonnes. Most of this will go to major distilling customers based in Speyside, helping Simpsons Malt to reduce emissions from transport and move closer to its goal of reaching net zero by 2030.
The barely used for malt production at the Rothes site will be sourced locally, from farming customers of Simpsons' agricultural merchanting subsidiary McCreath Simpson & Prentice, and will be transported to the site from its grain stores in Keith and Stracathro.
Simpsons Malt managing director Tim McCreath expressed his delight at the planning approval for the maltings project, which has been in the pipeline since the company agreed to purchase the 40-acre site at Greens of Rothes in September 2020.
"Operating a maltings in the heart of Scotch whisky country will enable us to operate more efficiently and sustainably, while also assisting our end-user customers in the area with their own sustainability objectives," he said.
"We’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to the local community for their cooperation and support throughout the process. We’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge comments raised in yesterday’s objections and will seek to work closely with the local community to find the best solutions that we can as the project moves forward."
Simpsons Malt is a family-run supplier of brewing malt to the whisky and beer industries. The company, a certified B Corporation, exclusively uses UK-grown two-row barley and works with heritage varieties including Golden Promise and Maris Otter.
The facility on the outskirts of Rothes will be built by UK-based maltster Simpsons Malt. It will be the company's third UK malting site, alongside facilities in Tivetshall St Margaret in Norfolk – where the company is headquartered – and Berwick-Upon-Tweed in Northumberland.
Once operational, the new maltings will have an annual production capacity of 85,000 tonnes. Most of this will go to major distilling customers based in Speyside, helping Simpsons Malt to reduce emissions from transport and move closer to its goal of reaching net zero by 2030.
The barely used for malt production at the Rothes site will be sourced locally, from farming customers of Simpsons' agricultural merchanting subsidiary McCreath Simpson & Prentice, and will be transported to the site from its grain stores in Keith and Stracathro.
Simpsons Malt managing director Tim McCreath expressed his delight at the planning approval for the maltings project, which has been in the pipeline since the company agreed to purchase the 40-acre site at Greens of Rothes in September 2020.
Tim McCreath, managing director of Simpsons Malt
"Operating a maltings in the heart of Scotch whisky country will enable us to operate more efficiently and sustainably, while also assisting our end-user customers in the area with their own sustainability objectives," he said.
"We’d like to place on record our sincere thanks to the local community for their cooperation and support throughout the process. We’d also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge comments raised in yesterday’s objections and will seek to work closely with the local community to find the best solutions that we can as the project moves forward."
Simpsons Malt is a family-run supplier of brewing malt to the whisky and beer industries. The company, a certified B Corporation, exclusively uses UK-grown two-row barley and works with heritage varieties including Golden Promise and Maris Otter.
