Dalmunach

Pernod Ricard announced in October 2012 that it would demolish and rebuild the Imperial Distillery (closed in 1998, see 'Imperial Distillery'). Construction of the new distillery began in 2013, and by the end of the year, the cleanup had been completed, except for one old warehouse. The new distillery cost £25 million. It is very modern in design and operation, yet fits well with the green tree-lined banks of the River Spey. It won the Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland Award in 2015. Ingvar Ronde, publisher of the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016, described it as 'not only one of the largest [distilleries] in Scotland, but also the most beautiful.' Its name comes from a pool near Speyside, unveiled by Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, in June 2015.

Dalmunach: There was speculation, though it remained just that, that the new distillery might be called 'Empire II,' much like how Chivas Brothers' new Glenburgie distillery retained the old name. However, the term 'Empire' has now become very outdated, and because Chivas owns a blended Scotch whisky brand with the same name, it would also violate the 2009 Scotch Whisky Regulations. The distillery's design was clearly inspired by the shape of a barley sheaf. The interior is spacious and bright, with glass curtain walls at both ends of the stillhouse. The shape of the stills replicates the equipment from the old distillery, with the stills themselves arranged in a circle around the spirit safe rather than in a line. Other original features of the former distillery are also incorporated, giving a sense of tradition: bricks from the old mill have been recycled and reused, a decorative wall has been created in the new entrance area, and North American yellow pine from the old fermentation vats has been used to create a 'dram' entrance and to decorate the walls of the new fermentation hall. The construction of Dalmunach was overseen entirely by Douglas Cruickshank, who retired from his position as Production Director at Chivas Brothers in 2013 to focus on this new project. It marked a perfect end to his long career, having started working at the Imperial distillery at the age of 15.