Dalmunach

In 2012, Chivas Brothers announced plans for a new malt whisky distillery on the Imperial site.^7,8,9 After the old buildings were demolished, work on the £25 million distillery began in 2013, to an Archial Norr design inspired by a sheaf of barley.^2,4,9 Douglas Cruickshank, who began his career at 15 at Imperial, managed the build, which reused Imperial's red brick and wood from its old washbacks.^2,4,9

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially opened it in June 2015, and it is named after a nearby pool in the River Spey.^5,9,10 It was built with heat recovery technology, and the Scottish Government called it the most energy efficient distillery in Chivas Brothers' portfolio.^5,9,10

It uses unpeated malt from Simpsons.^2,9 Its water comes from the Balintomb water supply, the same source Imperial used.^2,4,9 It has 16 stainless steel washbacks, the tanks where wort, the sugary water from the mash, ferments into a beer-like wash.^2,4,5 Fermentation lasts 54 hours.^2,9 It has 4 wash stills for the first distillation and 4 spirit stills for the second.^2,5,9 High pressure steam heats the stills.² The wash stills have a tulip shape and the spirit stills an onion shape, replicating Imperial's, and they stand in a circle.^2,4 Rothes coppersmiths Forsyth's made them slightly larger than Imperial's, aiming for a relatively rich, fruity spirit.⁹ It can make 10 million litres of alcohol a year.^2,9

Sources

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