Bairds Malt announces further expansion plans in inverness

Following the landmark acquisition of Bairds’ parent company United Malt Group by Malteries Soufflet in November 2023, Bairds has seized the opportunity to further bolster its global growth strategy. As the largest UK maltster with an expansive footprint in Scotland, Bairds Malt is expecting to add an additional 57,000mt of annual capacity by early 2027, given full planning consent is already in place and a significant proportion of the onsite infrastructure was installed during the initial phase of the development. 

Malteries Soufflet Managing Director, Guillaume Couture said “We are delighted to announce this expansion of one of our UK malting facilities so quickly after the acquisition of United Malt Group and Bairds Malt. This project is our first in our growth plan for the combined global malting business and will be the flagship facility for our combined UK business going forward.” 

With the burgeoning demand for high-quality distilling malt in tandem with the sustained growth of the Scottish distilling industry, Bairds Malt is steadfast in its commitment to meet this demand while championing sustainability. This development also marks a significant stride towards enhancing carbon reduction efforts throughout the wider supply chain. 

In line with Malteries Soufflet’s sustainability agenda, Bairds Malt plans to integrate renewable energy from the onset of Phase 2 commissioning. Collaborating with local suppliers, Bairds Malt plans to harness renewable heat and power, furthering its commitment to carbon reduction. Additionally, Bairds Malt is poised to expand its onsite AMBR RO Plant, enabling comprehensive treatment of effluent adding to its water conservation efforts. 

UK General Manager Richard Broadbent said, “Our customers have been very clear with their aspirations for any malting capacity expansion in Scotland, that it needs to be both quality and sustainability focused. We have always had a robust barley procurement strategy in Scotland and aim to incorporate additional renewable energy to align with Malteries Soufflet’s carbon emission targets for 2030.” 

Integral to Bairds Malt’s success over the past three years has been the robust growth of malting barley procurement in Scotland. With the launch of Phase 2 expansion in Inverness, Bairds Malt remains committed to grow its Scottish malting barley procurement, ensuring ample supply to meet the requirements of this further capacity expansion. “We recognise that at the heart of success for the Scottish distilling industry is the supply of quality UK malt, sown and grown from UK growers,” said Richard. While we celebrate the success of Scotch being enjoyed around the world, we are particularly proud of our growers and malting team who play a key part in that story beginning right here in the Highlands, with UK barley a key character.” 

“This is another exciting leap forwards for Bairds Malt, as a little under a year ago we cut the ribbon on our new maltings in Inverness. Our customers continue to grow and with the backing of Malteries Soufflet and parent company InVivo, we are able to support that growth - ensuring that we remain a trusted partner to the Scotch Whisky industry,” said Bairds Commercial Director Alan Williamson.