Moray MP Douglas Ross visits Chivas 'beating heart' – Keith Bond Two
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MORAY'S MP got a rare glimpse behind the scenes of Speyside whisky production in a recent visit to Keith.
Douglas Ross met Chivas Brothers employees Brian Macaulay and Ross Keddie at Keith Bond Two, where some of the spirits from Pernod-Ricard distilleries are filled into casks for maturing and emptied for blending or single malt bottling.
Keith Bond Two, Chivas's Speyside "beating heart", was built on the site of former railway engine sheds.
Mr Ross said after the visit: "Moray is home to so many of our Scotch whisky distilleries and I've been fortunate to visit many of them, but I've never seen this side of the industry.
"That's why I was so keen to see more of what happens as casks are filled with spirits and sent off for maturation, and what happens when they come back to be emptied and ready for bottling.
"Following the visit, I absolutely agree that Keith Bond Two is the 'beating heart' of the business.
"It was great to see some of the traditional methods they still use alongside the state-of-the-art technology they have on site as well."
He added: "Chivas are a long-standing and loyal employer in the area and this was a first-class opportunity to see what they are doing locally and learn more about the company's plans for expansion, development and product marketing."
Brian MacAulay, malt distilleries, spirit supply and warehousing group manager, said: "We were delighted to meet Douglas at Keith Bond Two which is the beating heart of our distilling, maturation and blending activities in Speyside.
"It gave us a valuable opportunity to explain the central role the Scotch whisky industry plays in a vast supply-chain network, impacting a whole range of industries including farming, transportation and sustainable energy production.
"And despite our reasonable recovery from the pandemic and global economic downturn, it remains important to let Scotland's lawmakers know about the pressures the Scotch whisky industry faces."
