International malting company Boortmalt has today opened the world’s largest kiln in Buckie.
It is hoped the new kiln will allow the company to purchase more barley locally in the north of Scotland, supporting local farmers in those areas.
The kiln completes the expansion of Boortmalt’s Buckie malting plant on the Morayshire coast.
The new extension was opened by Yvan Schaepman, Boortmalt group chief executive and Douglas Ross Moray MP, and Highlands and Islands MSP.
The malting plant, under the name of Pauls Malts, has been in operation since 1974.
£150 billion whisky sales by 2031
The business, which is one of the oldest malting businesses in the UK, has built the kiln and expanded its supporting buildings by 19,000 sq ft to support the growing demand for malt in whisky distilling and brewing across the globe.
Sales of whisky expected to hit £150billion by 2031.
The new, modern kiln measures 134ft in diameter and has a capacity to hold 600 tonnes of malt per batch.
It also boasts economical burner technology, designed to increase energy efficiency.
Boortmalt’s expansion has been completed within 12 months of breaking ground.
It will see malt production capacity increase by 50% to approximately 90,000 mega tonnes per year.
Sustainability credentials
The increased capacity will reduce the distance malt and barley will be transported each year and will improve the local supply chain efficiency, thereby helping to reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
Yvan Schaepman, chief executive Boortmalt Group, said: “We are extremely confident in the future of the malting sector, and the expansion will allow us to keep up with the high performance of our customer base.
“In less than 12 months, our people in Buckie have built the largest kiln in the world. Well done!”
Boortmalt operates in the UK as Pauls Malt. It has run its malting facility in Buckie since 1974 where it sources barley and sells its product locally, with the majority of its malt being delivered into Speyside.
It currently employs 24 people in Buckie.
Boortmalt is the world leader malting company with three million tonnes production capacity and malt sales.
The group is present on five continents with 27 malting plants.
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